The singer was arraigned in court on Tuesday for assaulting a police officer, an offence contrary to Section 356 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act.
Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, who was remanded on Tuesday, cannot return home yet due to a delay caused by the Chief Magistrate and Registrar of the Yaba Court in Lagos.
SaharaReporters learnt on Thursday that the Chief Magistrate and Registrar had not resumed in court to sign Seun’s bail papers, as of the time of filing this report.
“The Chief Magistrate and Registrar haven’t resumed to sign Seun Kuti’s bail papers,” a source told SaharaReporters.
The singer was arraigned in court on Tuesday for assaulting a police officer, an offence contrary to Section 356 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act.
The Chief Magistrate Court in Yaba, Lagos granted bail to Seun Kuti and ordered the police to finish their investigation into the alleged assault of a policeman in 48 hours and allow Kuti to go home.
The Chief Magistrate also asked the police to remove themselves from prosecuting him.
She directed that the case file should be duplicated and forwarded to the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions for prosecution.
SaharaReporters had reported that the police prosecutors claimed at the Magistrate Court that the assaulted policeman was in a coma, and was receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
“However, Kuti’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika countered that the police already stated publicly that the police officer trailed and went to Seun's house and accepted N12,000 to repair his car. It also emerged that the DCP in Panti had gone to meet the Magistrate earlier before secretly moving Seun to the court without notifying his lawyer.
“They also accused Seun of not writing a statement, but Olumide-Fusika countered that he was there when Seun wrote a statement. The Chief Magistrate decided to go on recess to ‘study the file,’” a source had told SaharaReporters.
Police sources told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the operatives however found only a “gun licence” and when they requested to see the gun, they were told it had been sent for repairs.
SaharaReporters earlier on Tuesday reported that the police stormed the residence of Seun Kuti and ransacked it in search of evidence to nail the Afrobeat singer.
SaharaReporters had learnt that the operatives thoroughly combed it as they fished for evidence to charge him with a separate crime.
It was learnt that the officers took the musician along when they went to his house and seized his wife’s mobile phone.
Speaking on Wednesday, one of the police sources said, “What police found during Kuti’s home search. They were looking for cannabis and weapons. They found only a gun licence and then requested to see the gun which had been sent for repairs. They are working to revoke the licence.”