The sitting could not hold after the magistrate absented herself from the court, SaharaReporters was told.
The Chief Magistrates Court in Yaba, Lagos State, presided over by Adeola Olatubosun, has adjourned the trial of Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, to Wednesday.
The sitting could not hold after the magistrate absented herself from the court, SaharaReporters was told.
“Seun has been taken back to the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti,” a source at the court said.
"The court sitting has been adjourned till tomorrow; the magistrate is not around."
SaharaReporters on Monday reported that the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State command, was plotting to ensure that Kuti was taken to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, to certify that he is “mentally sick.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Seun Kuti refused to give out his blood samples to the police for medical examination after the command got the magistrate to amend her ruling and do their bidding.
“The police are trying to take the Afrobeat musician to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State to declare him mentally sick. You can imagine what that can cause his musical career in Nigeria and abroad,” a source said on Monday.
Chief Magistrate Adeola Olatubosun had granted the police's application for an extension of Seun Kuti's remand for an additional four days.
On May 13, he was charged with assaulting a police officer on Lagos' Third Mainland Bridge.
According to the documents attached, the application was moved by Simon Lough (SAN), who led a police legal team to court.
He said, “The extension is to allow further investigation into the case. We could not conclude investigation in 2 days, we now ask for extra 4 days to enable us to conclude the investigation.”
A closer look at the document used to seek the collection of Seun's blood samples reveals that the court "further orders the applicant to obtain a medical doctor to examine the Respondent as provided in section 5(6) Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2015."
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the #FreeSeunKuti campaign asked the Nigeria Police Force to drop what it described as trumped-up charges against Kuti and release him from detention as he had met his bail conditions.
The campaign is being supported by the African Action Congress (AAC), the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), the Movement of the People (MOP), the Socialist Equality Movement (SEM), the Movement for African Emancipation (MAE), Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN) as well as other individuals.
The campaign made the demand in a statement released by social activist, Francis Nwapa, in which he called on Nigerian youths, workers and the general public to join in the #FreeSeunKuti campaign and the court sitting on May 23, 2023, at the Magistrate Court at Yaba, Lagos State.