The police have announced the discovery of suspicious items during a search conducted at the residence of Seun Kuti, the son of the renowned Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti. Benjamin Hundeyin, the Police Public Relations Officer, made this statement in response to criticism on social media.
Seun Osewa, the founder of Nairaland, had accused the police of harassing Kuti’s family by conducting a thorough search of their home and confiscating his wife’s phone. Osewa expressed his disapproval on Twitter, stating, “The harassment of Seun Kuti’s family by ransacking their home & seizing his wife’s phone is wrong. You’re making people who were sympathetic to the police because Seun Kuti’s behavior was despicable to remember why they hated the police before. This is bad PR for the police.”
In response, Hundeyin explained, “During the course of our investigation, we came across certain suspicious items that needed to be further examined to establish their validity or innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore obtained a search warrant from the court, which we duly executed. The investigation is ongoing.”
Hundeyin emphasized that the police are not limited to investigating only the initial crime, as law enforcement agencies worldwide often come across additional offenses while investigating an initial one. He stated, “No law restricts the police to investigating only the initial crime. World over, Police Departments stumble on other crimes while investigating an initial crime. We are duty-bound to investigate them in line with our mandate of detecting and investigating crimes.”
Read also: Police now understand how it feels to be brutalized, humiliated – Mr Macaroni on Seun Kuti’s arrest
Earlier reports highlighted that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, had ordered the arrest of Seun Kuti following an incident in which he assaulted a police operative. The musician voluntarily turned himself in to the police in the early hours of Monday, accompanied by his lawyer and a family representative. He was subsequently arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Panti.
Seun Kuti appeared before Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun of a Magistrate’s Court in the Yaba area of Lagos State on Tuesday. Although he was granted bail, his lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), stated that he must meet the bail conditions within 48 hours. However, on Thursday, the court extended the remand by an additional four days.
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