By Kamil Opeyemi
The Nigerian Police Force on Tuesday asked a magistrate in Lagos for an order to detain singer, Seun Kuti for the next 21 days over allegations of assault against one of its officers. This was just as the lawyer to the artiste, Mr. Olumide Adeyinka-Fusika, SAN alleged that the police was engaging in media trial over the matter. Specifically, the lawyer said spokesman of the command, Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin, had, by his statement on social media and interview with a newspaper, concluded investigations. The lawyer said Hundeyin’s action renders useless any further investigations the police might claim to be carrying out.
The case was brought before Chief Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun at the Yaba Magistrate Court. It was also gathered that the police prosecutor had told the court that the assaulted policeman, whose name was not given, is in coma and is currently receiving treatment at undisclosed hospital in Lagos.
He alleged that the music star, Seun Kuti is being starved while in detention.
Kuti’s lawyer, in a statement, slammed the investigation conducted by Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, regarding the incident.
The lawyer said Mr Kuti declined to give a written report of the altercation with the police officer because the police had published their findings on the matter without his input.
He said, “Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin who goes by the formal title of Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer but doubles as the Investigating Police Officer into the case of alleged assault of a policeman by my client, Mr. Seun Kuti, has issued a Report of his investigative work.
“Mr. Seun Kuti would have expected that having completed his investigative work, Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin, a law enforcer, would proceed according to law by sending the file containing his report of investigation for legal evaluation towards possible prosecution.
“Mr. Seun Kuti is nevertheless not surprised that Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin chose instead to make his investigative report the subject of the media publication, as for instance, in the Punch online publication of Monday, May 15, 2023, titled ‘Assault: Seun Kuti apologised, gave cop ₦12,000 to repair the vehicle, police say.”
“According to Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin, in his investigative report handed over to The Punch, ‘Seun Kuti was the one that bashed the officer’s vehicle, and the policeman followed him to call his attention to it, but the musician alighted from his car and slapped the policeman as seen in the trending video. However, the officer reported the incident at the Police Command in Ikeja.”
“The policeman was alone. After the altercation, he followed Seun Kuti to his home in Ikeja, and the musician apologised to the policeman and gave him ₦12,000 to repair his damaged vehicle. But the officer reported the incident at the Area F Police Command in Ikeja, and deposited the ₦12,000 at the counter while he gave a written statement concerning the incident.
“Although he had been with the Police since 8:00 am on Monday 15th May 2023, Mr. Seun Kuti notes that it was at about 8:00 pm that day, after Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin had already completed and published his investigative report above, that he was asked to make a statement to the Police at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba.”
He said Kuti would address Hundeyin’s published investigative findings in due course, at an appropriate time and place, defending himself against any allegations made.
“Mr. Seun Kuti has therefore volunteered to his interlocutors a statement to the effect that since Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin has already done the investigation and issued and published his report on it, there was no useful purpose to be served by any statement from him. He will, at the right time and place, and in as rigorous a manner possible under the law, defend himself against Mr. Hundeyin’s published ‘investigative findings.”
Olumide-Fusika, further disclosed that not only did the police refuse to provide his client with food, but his wife was also denied access to see his husband.
“The consequence of this for Mr. Seun Kuti was that his wife was refused the privilege of delivering a meal to him, even though there was no other arrangement in place to have him fed. We await the next move of the Police on the allegation of crime against Mr. Seun Kuti.”
The presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, in the last general election, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has reportedly held a meeting with the president-elect, Bola Tinubu in France. The meeting, NPO Reports learnt, was to open talks on the possibility of the former Governor of Kano, joining Tinubu’s government after its inauguration on May 29, this year. Recall that Tinubu defeated Kwankwaso, Atiku Abubakar who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi, who flew the flag of the Labour Party in the election.