Tobias Sylvester
Nigerian rapper, Falz has reacted to the arrest of Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, who assaulted a police officer on Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
KanyiDaily recalls that Seun Kuti turned himself to the police on Monday, after the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, ordered his arrest for slapping an officer on Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
On Tuesday, Seun Kuti was arraigned before the Yaba Magistrate’s Court to face charges of assaulting a police officer, a violation of Section 356 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act.
The police asked the court to remand Kuti for 21 days, but the magistrate ordered that the defendant be remanded for 48 hours to allow the police to conclude their investigation.
The court ruled that “after 48 hours, the defendant will be granted bail in the sum of N1m with two responsible sureties, a three years tax payment receipt that is verifiable; one of the sureties must have a landed property within the court jurisdiction.”
The magistrate adjourned the case for mention to May 23, 2023.
Falz Drags Nigerian Police
Taking to his Twitter page, the rapper shared several videos of policemen physically assaulting citizens and asked the IG to use the same energy to indict and punish erring officers.
Although Falz condemned assault on police officers, he lamented that the cases where policemen harass and brutalize civilians without any consequence is now the order of the day.
He wrote, “Nobody can deny that it is wrong to hit a policeman. For mischief seekers, read that first sentence again. However, these other videos are from the other side of the spectrum. This is not the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth time.
“We see cases like these very regularly & most of the time absolutely nothing is done to the perpetrators . Before ENDSARS. After ENDSARS. Still very much ongoing. WHEN do we pause to actually address the root cause of all these issues – THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE.
“As we await confirmation on what actually led to the Seun Kuti reaction, we all know it’s not strange in Nigeria to see a drunk policeman. We all know they constantly endanger lives and property We all know they rob and extort at gun point We know they continue to maim and brutalize We all know they conduct extra judicial killings
“Mr Inspector-General, IS THIS HOW POLICING IS DONE? The speed wey una take arrest & charge @bigbirdkuti , you no go use am do something about this overly dysfunctional police.”
Watch the videos below:
Still waiting for the IG to call for the arrest of these beasts! https://t.co/6VziBrE9vK
— Bop Daddy (@falzthebahdguy) May 17, 2023
KanyiDaily had reported how Seun Kuti’s wife was driven away from the police station by officers, who subjected her to verbal abuse and threatened to arrest her as an accomplice when she brought food for him.
