Seun Kuti’s lawyer accuses police of starving detained afrobeat musician

The lawyer of the afrobeat musician detained for assaulting a police officer, Seun Kuti, has alleged that his client was being denied access to food by the police over his (Kuti) refusal to volunteer his statement.

Penpushing reports that the lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika made the allegation in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the detainee’s wife was refused the ‘privilege’ of delivering a meal to him in the evening of Monday May 15, 2023.

The counsel added that this happened even  when there was no other arrangement in place to have him fed, stressing that the action of the police was a maltreatment meted out to his client, who has been in custody since Monday.

‘The consequence of this for Mr Seun Kuti was that his wife was refused the ‘privilege’ of delivering a meal to him in the evening of Monday May 15, 2023, even though there was no other arrangement in place to have him fed,” he said.

Penpushing further reports that Olumide-Fusika in the statement said the Grammy-nominated saxophonist declined to give a written report of the altercation with the police officer because the police had published their findings on the matter without his input.

The lawyer also accused the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin of doubling as the “Investigating Police Officer into the case of alleged assault of a policeman by his client, and issuing 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,” the lawyer argued.

“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”, the statement reads.

‘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.”

The Grammy-nominated saxophonist Penpushing also reports that  Olumide –Fusika stated that  his client had been with the police since 8 a.m. on Monday but was asked to make a statement to the police at the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID), in Panti, Yaba around 8 p.m, after Hundeyin had already completed and published his investigative report above.

‘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’, he added

Penpushing further reports that it is recalled that the embattled musician had on Monday surrendered himself to the police in Lagos State following directive of the Inspector General of Police, after a video surfaced showing him assaulting a police officer.

The police subsequently handcuffed and detained him as investigation into the case continues, and justifying his being handcuffed the police authorities explained that the law allows it, for any suspect who has shown propensity for violence and propensity for evading justice

Penpushing also reports that the Command Public Relations Officer as at the time of filing this report could not be reached in regards the suspect’s lawyer allegation against the police of starving his client while in custody

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