The activists include Adeyeye Olorunfemi, who doubles as the National Secretary of the African Action Congress; Omole Ibukun (member) Democratic Socialist Movement; Sodunola Obafemi; Folarin Opeyemi; Temitope Fagunwa; and four others.
They said they were displeased with the alleged manner in which the police had been handling the investigation of the musician.
“We are deeply troubled by the manner in which the police have handled the investigation since you (the IG) ordered Seun’s arrest for slapping a police officer. Since then, Seun has stated that his human and emotional reaction was because a policeman hit his vehicle, almost running him and his family off the Third Mainland Bridge. We believe that this is the claim that you have ordered an investigation into.
“Firstly, we must point out that Seun has been cooperative with the police and has voluntarily turned himself in for questioning.
“Seun presented himself to the police on Monday. The way he was treated from that moment calls for serious concerns and raises questions about the fairness of the investigation,” the group said in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday.
Seun, a son of late activist and musician, Fela Kuti, was seen in a video that went viral on May 13, slapping a police officer on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The musician turned himself in at the Ikeja Police Station on Monday following an order for his arrest by the Police IG.
He was arraigned in court on Tuesday for assault and was subsequently remanded in police custody for 48 hours.
Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun, who presided over the matter at the Magistrates’ Court in Yaba, Lagos, ordered the police to complete their investigation within the 48 hours period.
But the activists claimed, “The treatment of Seun by the police seems as if the Nigerian Police Force is trying to be a judge in their own case. Seun was cuffed and mocked by officers as he was paraded around the station.
“His wife was denied access to him to give him food. His lawyer was not given access to participate in the investigation interview by the police. We are troubled by the manner in which he has been treated since his arrest.”
The PUNCH reports that the police on Tuesday also conducted a search on the residence of the musician on No 15, Akin Osiyemi Street, Off Allen Avenue, in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin, this was part of investigations of the alleged assault by the musician.
“We were investigating assault, we stumbled on some things we needed to verify. We got a duly issued search warrant which we went to execute,” he told this newspaper on Tuesday.
Continuing on Wednesday, the group called on the police to conduct and conclude a thorough and impartial investigation into the incident within the 48 hours stipulated by the court, in order to establish the facts and to ensure that justice was served.
They said that beyond the police investigation, an open probe of the alleged injustice committed during the police investigation was necessary; “a public probe that will not be biased towards Kuti.”
“We believe the matter brought before you must have the necessary justice and you must use your office to ensure this matter is adequately treated,” the statement concluded.
