Nigerian Afrobeat star Kuti arrested over alleged police assault
By Chinedu Asadu, The Associated Press on May 15, 2023.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – A Nigerian Afrobeat star was arrested Monday after being accused of assaulting a police officer in the commercial hub of Lagos. Seun Kuti was detained at the Lagos State police headquarters after turning himself in, according to police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, who tweeted photos of the celebrity in handcuffs. The son of Nigerian musical icon and political agitator Fela, who himself was serially detained by Nigerian military regimes, Kuti was “captured on video assaulting a police officer in uniform,” the police said. Videos posted online appeared to show an agitated Kuti pushing a police officer as the officer stood beside a police vehicle along a major road in Lagos on Saturday. It was unclear what led to the confrontation, though Kuti tweeted that the officer in question “tried to kill me and my family.” He suggested the officer tried to ram their car. Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba ordered an investigation into the incident. The inspector general “assures Nigerians that acts of contempt/disdain for symbols of authority will not be tolerated while offenders of such hideous crimes will be surely brought to book,” the police said. 7-6
