Protesters gathered outside the magistrate’s court in Yaba, Lagos, on Tuesday to express their displeasure ahead of the trial of Afrobeat star Seun Kuti.
Seun, the late Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti’s youngest son, was apprehended on April 15 after being filmed assaulting a police officer on the Third Mainland Bridge.
On April 16, he was arrested at the state criminal investigation Department (SCID) and arraigned before a magistrate’s court.
The police had sought an order to keep him in custody for another 21 days pending the conclusion of their investigation.
However, Adeola Olatubosun, the court’s chief magistrate, ordered that the musician be detained for an additional 48 hours before being released on bail.
The magistrate extended Seun’s remand for four days on Thursday to allow the police to continue their investigation.
She also ordered that Seun’s file be duplicated and sent to the director of public prosecution (DPP), after which the trial was adjourned until May 22.
Demonstrators were seen carrying banners with inscriptions such as ‘Free Seun Kuti’ and ‘End Police Brutality’ ahead of the singer’s trial on Tuesday.
Speaking with TheCable Lifestyle, Kunle Ajayi, a member of the Movement of the People (MOP), accused the police of collaborating with the magistrate to frustrate the trial.
“There have been a lot of collaborations to stop us. Nobody can stop us. Because when we rise, we rise. We are watching with her two eyes open in a very painstaking manner,†he said.
On his part, Francis Mwaba, the national secretary of the Youths Rise Movement (YRM), demanded the unconditional release of the musician “between now and tomorrowâ€.
“Seun must be released now unconditionally between now and tomorrow or we are going to go back to the street,†Mwaba said.
If convicted of the assault allegation, Kuti could face up to three years in prison under Nigerian law.