Unacceptable: Fela’s Son, Seun Kuti Slaps A Police Officer In Lagos by Kola Olaniran

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Seun Kuti


Kudos to the Nigerian police officer who exhibited a high level of professionalism during an altercation with Seun Kuti, a popular Nigerian musician and son of the late global icon, Fela.


What led to this altercation was not immediately known but in a video that went viral after the incident, Seun was heard spewing venom at the officer by angrily asking, “are you mad, are you stupid, do you want to kill me?”



As Seun was going to his SUV, the officer followed him and Seun suddenly turned back, pushed and shook the officer vigorously. At this juncture, a woman believed to be Seun’s wife tried to calm him down but his vicious anger sent the woman back inside the vehicle.


Seun later pounced on the police officer by dealing a hot slap to his face while the officer still remained calm. Onlookers were seen trying to resolve the matter but it was not shown in the video how the melee ended.


Most Nigerians condemned Seun’s action as irresponsible as the attack on the officer in uniform ( a symbol of authority) was seen as attack on the country. 


In accordance with section 356 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act, if found guilty of the assault, Seun risks three years in prison.

As stated in the Act, “Anyone who assaults, resists, or willfully obstructs a police officer while acting in the execution of his duty, or any person acting in aid of a police officer while so acting is guilty of felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.”


Seeing the video, the Inspector General of the Police IGP Alkali Baba has since ordered the arrest of Seun.


While we condemn Seun’s irresponsible act, we urge the incoming administration to strengthen the police/community relations to forestall a future occurrence of this ugly scenario.


In the past, officers of the Nigerian Police Force had pushed the citizens beyond the threshold of human endurance. It’s very nauseating to see police officers harassing hardworking innocent Nigerians simply because they drive exotic cars, this could be what led to the kerfuffle between Seun and the officer, only for the officer to realize that Seun is among the Nigerian first class celebrities.


While Seun is facing prosecution for taking the law into his hand, we urge the Nigerian police to revisit so many cases of police abuse where the officers were just demoted or fired without facing the full weight of the law. Officers of the Nigerian Police Force must be allowed to have overseas training to see how police officers behave in civilized countries.


With police brutality in Nigeria, lives have been shattered and hopes have been dashed with innocent citizens’ lives cut short.



The case of Mrs Tola Azeez who was nursing a few days old baby and beaten to stupor in Iwo, Osun State still reverberates across the country. What was Tola’s offense? She went to the next house to pick up a medicine for her new born baby without wearing a mask. The officers involved did not get any jail sentence.



Not to forget the case of Mrs Bolanle Raheem, a pregnant lawyer who was brutally murdered by a gun-totting, blood-letting, trigger-happy, irresponsible police officer during the Christmas season last year, the case is still in court.


Sadly too, I don’t understand why armed police officers should be drinking alcohol on duty, is this not an invitation to anarchy?


While hoping the case of Seun is handled with professionalism, I also hope we will come to the round table for mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence.


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