Seun Kuti, an Afrobeat singer, has been taken into police custody for 48 hours after reportedly assaulting a police officer by the Magistrate Court in Yaba, Lagos state.
The prosecution, led by S. A. Adebese and Morufu Animashaun, requested that the defendant be held in custody for a period of 21 days seeking legal counsel from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions at his arraignment before Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun. Kuti’s attorneys, led by Femi Falana, SAN, requested that the court not remand their client, claiming that they were not aware of the remand motion.
After hearing from both parties, the magistrate asked for a five-minute break so she could think things over on her own. The magistrate returned and stated that she would not depend on the police investigation, thus she remanded
“Court has decided to override any public opinion and pass the judgment of the court. Following the remand application presented before the court, I am advising that the case file be duplicated and sent to the Directorate of public prosecutions within 72 hours. The defendant is hereby remanded for 48 hours in police custody to allow the police to conclude their investigation. After 48 hours, the defendant will be granted bail in the sum of N1m with two responsible sureties, a three years tax payment receipt that is verifiable; one of the sureties must have a landed property within the court jurisdiction.”, she ruled.
She adjourned the case till May 23, 2023, for mention.