'Assault’: Police search Seun Kuti’s home as singer spends 2nd night in custody

 

Police officers on Tuesday searched the Lagos residence of Seun Kuti — barely hours after the Afrobeat singer’s arraignment.

 

Kuti was arrested on Monday and detained at the state criminal investigation Department (SCID) popularly known as Panti.

 

Seun’s arrest came after he was filmed assaulting a police officer on the Third Mainland Bridge.

 

A short video clip went viral on Saturday showing Kuti, who wore a red shirt and white pair of trousers, pushing the policeman, who stood beside a Toyota Hilux police van.

 

The singer then proceeded to slap the officer while shouting, “You dey crase, you dey mad?”

 

The footage stirred a chorus of condemnation on social media with users expressing disappointment at Kuti’s actions.

The 40-year-old singer and youngest son of Fela Kuti, the late Afrobeat legend alleged in a tweet that the officer had tried to harm him and his family.

 

He, however, did not provide details about the alleged plot.

 

The musician was arraigned before the magistrate court in Yaba.

 

The police had sought to get an order to further keep him in custody for 21 days pending the conclusion of its investigation.

 Adeola Olatunbosun, the chief magistrate, however, directed the police to detain Seun for additional 48 hours and then release him on bail.

 

The magistrate also adjourned the case till May 22, 2023, for mention.

In a now-viral video, heavy-duty vehicles were spotted entering the singer’s residence located around Allen Avenue, Ikeja on Tuesday evening.

The police officers also took the musician along during the search.

Responding to a post by a Twitter user who tackled the officers for searching Kuti’s house, Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos police spokesperson, said the agency “stumbled on certain suspicious things that have warranted the search”.

“The harrassment of Seun Kuti’s family by ransacking their home & seizing his wife’s phone is wrong. You’re making people who were sympathetic to the police because Seun Kuti’s behaviour was despicable to remember why they hated the police before. This is bad PR for the police,” the user wrote.

“In the course of our investigation, we stumbled on certain suspicious things that needed to be proven/disproved beyond reasonable doubt. We, therefore, applied for and duly got a search warrant from the court, which we have executed. Investigation continues,” Benjamin responded.

According to Nigerian laws, Kuti could face up to three years in prison if convicted of assaulting a police officer.