Okotie urged the Inspector-General of Police to demonstrate “paternal clemency” towards Seun Kuti in his transgression.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Clergyman, Chris Okotie, has pleaded with the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to forgive Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, for assaulting a police officer in uniform.
The singer slapped a policeman on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State on May 13. A video of the incident immediately went viral.
On Monday, he was arrested, detained and subsequently arraigned before the Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court on a charge of assault.
Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosu initially remanded him for 48 hours in police custody. On Thursday, she extended it by four days following an application by the police.
Mr Simon Lough (SAN), who led a police legal team to the court, said the extension was to allow further investigation into the case.
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The extension will see Seun remain in police custody till Monday, May 22.
However, in a statement on Thursday signed by his media adviser, Ladi Ayodeji, Okotie pleaded for clemency for the embattled singer.
Okotie, who is the founder of Household of God Church, said, “I would like to urge the Inspector-General of Police to demonstrate a paternal clemency towards Seun Kuti in his transgression against an authorised myrmidon of the law.
“Anti-establishment is not acceptable under any guise, however, a humane superintendence is a mark of a great leadership.
“The youth have been under tremendous pressure to establish a new Nigerian social order and Seun’s abrasive conduct is a tangent from that trajectory.
“I plead earnestly with the IGP to temper justice with mercy and exculpate Seun of all charges. Femi and Seun Kuti are artistic souvenirs bestowed upon us by the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and we truly appreciate the creative artistry demonstrated in their musical genre.
“Please find sufficient grace in your heart to anesthestize the gravity of this provocation.”