The Falana & Falana Chambers headed by the popular human rights activist and Senior Advocate Of Nigeria, SAN, Barrister Femi Falana has queried the rationale of the Nigeria Police Force, most especially its Lagos State Command to parade and handcuffed his client, Mr. Seun Kuti, a popular afrobeat musician despite reporting to the Police by himself without being forced or coarsed to do so.
One of the lawyers in the Falana & Falana Chambers, Barrister Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, in a press release signed by him and circulated to the media houses on behalf of the Chambers faulted the Police action.
According to the press release, Barrister Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, reminded Nigerians that, “following Seun Kuti’s encounter with a policeman on the Third Mainland Bridge on Saturday, the 13th May, 2023, the Chamber’s client, Mr. Seun Kuti reported himself in the office of the Commissioner of Police at the Police Command, Ikeja, at 8am today, Monday May 15, 2023”.
He revealed “how he accompanied him to the Ikeja police station together with another lawyer, Mr. Femi Akinyemi from Falana and Falana chambers”.
Olumide-Fusika however maintained, “that there was no interrogation when it was decided he would be moved to the Force Criminal Investigation Unit at Panti, Yaba. He added that, before his movement, Mr. Seun Kuti, was handcuffed and his photograph taken in the open by the Lagos PPRO, Mr. David Hundeyin who coordinated the parade and apparently shared the photograph of his parade in the media”.
The Lawyer from the Falana & Falana Chambers argued “that Mr. Kuti is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved by the State and contested that the decision of the police to subject him to media parade violates Section 9 of the Lagos State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, which has prohibited any form of parade of criminal suspects in Nigeria in Lagos State”.
Continuing, Olumide-Fusika corrected the Police, “that it is supposed to enforce the Law, but prefers to disrespect and break it so casually and randomly”.
He decried the level of disrespect that the Police institution has for Nigerians and the law, adding that the Police should only exists to enforce and not to be an example of law breakers.
He went on to aver “that the decision of the Police to handcuff Mr. Kuti is illegal as it constitutes a violation of Section 5 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Lagos State”.
Explaining further, Olumide-Fusika, said, “After handcuffing him, the Police then drove him in a long convoy of heavily armed personnel from Ikeja to Panti Lagos, where he was again displayed for viewing to the men and officers of that Police formation, and is currently held”.
“We await the next move of the Police on the misdemeanor alleged against Mr. Seun Kuti”, he ended.
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