The Lagos State Police Command has denied torturing Afrobeats singer, Seun Kuti, after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
Following the altercation with the yet-to-be-identified officer, the singer turned himself in at the Ikeja police command in Lagos in the company of his lawyer and family representative.
An order for his arrest was subsequently put out by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
Spokesman of the State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, said since the singer turned himself in, police authorities have not and will not lay a finger on Seun Kuti.
Contrary to some people’s emotion-laden expectations, we are smart enough not to torture him.
He pledged the commitment of the Command to ensure a full and transparent investigation of the case.
“We will not undermine our case. Not a finger has been laid on him nor will be laid on him. Like we assured, full and transparent investigation,” Hundeyin stated.
“Contrary to some people’s emotion-laden expectations, we are smart enough not to torture him.”
Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika who is the lawyer to the afrobeat musician says his client will at the right time and place and in as rigorous a manner as possible defend himself under the law.
Olumide-Fusika stated this In a press statement dated May 16th. The lawyer was reacting to certain comments made in the media by the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin.
According to Olumide-Fusika, his client 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.”
“Although he had been with the Police since 8:00 am on Monday 15th May 2023, Mr Seun Kuti notes that it was at about 8:00 pm 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.”
The lawyer also said that he and his client await the next move of the police on the allegation of crime against Mr Seun Kuti, who is ready to defend himself against what he calls, “Mr Hundeyin’s published ‘investigative findings’.
