SaharaReporters learnt that the Magistrate Court was scheduled to begin sitting by 12pm.
The Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Command, has secretly moved Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, to the Yaba Magistrate Court for arraignment without notifying his lawyers as part of a desperate bid to get back at the musician.
SaharaReporters learnt that the Magistrate Court was scheduled to begin sitting by 12pm, but Seun Kuti and his lawyers, who had got wind of the secret arraignment, were already in court.
“The police have moved Seun Kuti to the Yaba Magistrate Court for arraignment without notifying his lawyers. The magistrate is sitting by 12 noon, but Seun and his lawyers are already in court,” a source revealed.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Kuti told the police personnel in Yaba, Lagos State that he would not volunteer any statement since the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin, had already concluded his investigation and published the same report in the media.
Kuti, speaking through his lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, had in an update on Tuesday morning, noted that he would “at the right time and place” defend himself against Hundeyin’s published “investigative findings.”
He had said, “Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin who goes by the formal title of Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, but apparently 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 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 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 8:00am on Monday 15th May, 2023, Mr. Seun Kuti notes that it was at about 8:00pm 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.
“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’.
“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.”
SaharaReporters on Monday night reported that the police at the Lagos State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti refused to grant Seun Kuti bail after their futile attempt to trick him into writing a statement that would implicate him in the case of an alleged assault on a police officer.
SaharaReporters had learnt that his lawyer asked the police to grant the musician bail but the request was rejected under the pretext that they were yet to conclude with their investigation.
Seun Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti was on Monday arrested and handcuffed following his visit to the state police command.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the musician kept his word that he would cooperate with the police by turning himself in on Monday to cooperate with the investigation into the allegation that he assaulted a policeman as captured in a viral video.
He was however arrested, handcuffed by the police and moved to SCIID, Panti for interrogation.
SaharaReporters had also reported that the police turned Seun Kuti's visit in company with his lawyer, Olumide-Fusika, into a public spectacle, with hundreds of officers taunting and mocking him as he walked by.
Meanwhile, the police commissioner, Owohunwa, was conveniently absent for a large part while this went on.
A source had told SaharaReporters that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, one of the lawyers defending Seun had to call the police commissioner to complain about the unruly behaviour of the officers, treatment of his client and prevention of Olumide-Fusika from being present during the musician's interrogation.
It was learnt that a cameraman was on hand to take pictures as soon as Seun was handcuffed behind his back while scores of officers continued to mock and threaten him.
Meanwhile, police sources at Panti told SaharaReporters on Monday night that the policemen at the facility continued to be hostile to Seun, his lawyers and his family members.
They reportedly chased his wife away from the police station when she brought him food after calling her all sorts of names and threatening to arrest her as an accomplice.