Faith Nyasuguta
The Nigerian musician Seun Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer, Lagos state police said on Monday.
An order was made for the arrest of Kuti, a Grammy-nominated saxophonist and singer, on Saturday after a viral video showed him on a road, shouting and apparently pushing and smacking a police officer, police said.
His action drew widespread condemnation from Nigerians, with many calling for his immediate arrest and prosecution.
Slapping a police officer is a serious offence in Nigeria, and if charged and found guilty, he risks three years in jail.
He turned himself in early on Monday to the headquarters of the Lagos state police command, accompanied by a lawyer and a family representative, a police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said on Twitter.
“He has been placed under arrest in line with the law,” he said.
“The ongoing investigation will be detailed, transparent, professionally pursued and justice will be manifestly served for all parties involved.”
Before his arrest, Kuti said on Twitter that the policeman had tried to kill him and his family, but he did not explain how.
He and his lawyer have not commented since his arrest.
Kuti, 40, is the youngest son of Fela Kuti, who drove Afrobeat – a powerful mix of funk and jazz – to global attention in the 1980s.
A charismatic figure and activist who was bitterly critical of Nigeria’s military regimes and corrupt elite, Fela Kuti died in 1997 but retains a fervent following.
His son started playing in his band, Egypt 80, at the age of nine and took the helm when he was 14, after his father died.
In 2019, Kuti and the group were nominated for a Grammy, the top US music awards, for their album Black Times in the global music category.
