- By Kamil Opeyemi
“Mr. Kuti is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved by the State. Therefore, the decision of the police to subject him to the media parade violates section 9 of the Lagos State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, which has prohibited any form of parade of criminal suspects in Nigeria in Lagos State. The Police is supposed to enforce the Law, but prefers to disrespect and break it so casually and randomly.”
Lawyer to the embattled Afro beat singer, Seun Kuti, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, (SAN) has accused the police of illegally parading the artist and handcuffing him on Monday.
In a statement by Adeyinka-Fusika, SAN, he said the police broke the law by parading Seun Kuti.
The lawyer stated, “Mr. Kuti is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved by the State. Therefore, the decision of the police to subject him to the media parade violates section 9 of the Lagos State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, which has prohibited any form of parade of criminal suspects in Nigeria in Lagos State. The Police is supposed to enforce the Law, but prefers to disrespect and break it so casually and randomly.”
Fusika said following Kuti’s encounter with a policeman on the Third Mainland Bridge on Saturday the 13th May, 2023, my client, Mr. Seun Kuti reported himself in the office of the Commissioner of Police at the Police Command, Ikeja, at 8 am today Monday May 15, 2023.
He said he accompanied him to the Ikeja police station together with another lawyer, Mr. Femi Akinyemi from Falana and Falana chambers.
He went further by saying, “However, there was no
interrogation as it was decided he would be moved to the Force Criminal Investigation Unit at Panti, Yaba. Before his movement, Mr. Seun Kuti, was handcuffed and his photograph taken in the open by the Lagos PPRO, Mr. David Hundeyin who coordinated the parade and apparently shared the photograph of his parade in the media.”
The lawyer said a Police institution that has no respect for the law it exists to enforce is not a good example to alleged law breakers.
“The decision of the police to handcuff Mr. Kuti is equally illegal as it constitutes a violation of Section 5 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.”
He said the Police drove Seun Kuti in a long convoy of heavily armed personnel from Ikeja to Panti Lagos, where he was again displayed for viewing to the men and officers of that police formation, and is currently held.
He said the legal team would await the next move of the Police on the misdemeanor alleged against the artist.
Recall that the artist was ordered to be arrested by the Inspector General of Police Usman Baba Alkali after an alleged assault on a policeman on Saturday.
A video clip had gone viral where the singer was seen slapping the police man and accusing him of attempting to kill him and his family members.