Jelili Atiku: Arts once more on trial

When award-winning artist, Jelili Atiku, staged Aragamago in Ejigbo, Lagos State, where he resides, it was chiefly to draw attention to domestic terrorism and hence speed up its eradication. Although he had been at the centre of attention in the Ejigbo area for his thought-provoking performances, little did he know that this latest one would result in litigation.
He is facing a four-count criminal charge (Charge No MM/E/01/16), widely believed to have been sponsored by the traditional ruler of Ejigbo community, Oba Morufu Adekunle Adisa Ojoola, the Oojon of Ejigbo/Ijan Kingdom in Lagos State. The artist is being arraigned on criminal charges of “constituting public disturbance, and inciting the public with his performance of January 14, 2016”.
Despite the art community’s call on the authorities to drop the said charges, which include that the artist conspired with four others to “commit felony” with his art, the case still went to court. The Prince Claus laureate was arrested on Monday, January 18, 2016, after staging the performance and detained for three days before meeting the bail condition.
The case came up again for trial on April 4 at the Ejigbo Magistrate Court before J.O.E Adeyemi. In the cause of the evidence-in-chief of the complainant’s first witness when trial started, the defence raised objection to the admissibility of a particular photograph and the Magistrate adjourned till April 4 for the lawyers to file argument on the admissibility of the document.
On April 4, the judge gave her ruling, saying she was going to admit the document but that at the final address, she would decide which weight to attach to the document based on the objection raised by defence.
At the end of the day, it was resolved that the court would admit the two documents and mark them same. In the final address, at the end of the trial the defence can bring all these again to the magistrate’s recollection.
However, trial couldn’t continue on April 4 because the witness, who had earlier showed up in court, suddenly fell ill and had to leave. The judge therefore adjourned the case till April 25.
Explaining what had actually taken place in court during an interview with reporters, counsel to Jelili Atiku, Yomi Animashaun, said they “had raised an objection based on the actual photo and the disparity in the date on the device itself because it was obvious that it was scanned photograph into the device and the date it was scanned was different from the date that they alleged that they took the photograph.
“So we raised that objection and it was on the basis of that that the court adjourned. Miraculously, we got here today and the phone itself has not been admitted neither was the photograph. We now also have disparity relating to the photograph.”
Adeola Samuel Ilori is counsel to the other accused persons in the case.
Interesting to watch, Aragamago highlighted salient issues in his neighbourhood of Ejigbo. Performed under the scorching sun on Thursday, January 14, 2016 at Oju-Oluwa, the crossroad, ldium junction, Lagos about 4pm, he spent some minutes dressing each of the performers, Monsuru Saula, Hassan Nosiru, Ashimiu Muyideen, and Jamiu Sanni in the full glare of the public. Before long, a huge crowd now used to this spectacle gathered to watch.
For over a decade, Jelili Atiku has consistently used art as a medium for protest, to raise awareness and to bring about change around the world. His effort has brought him recognition all over the world; but like the saying goes, a prophet has honour except in his own home.
Only recently, he was in Amsterdam to receive the Prince Claus Award and has performed in every continent.
“Aragamago; it is a special power that God gave Odu, the wife of Orunmila, when she was coming to the world that as soon as whoever wants to harm Odu sights the birth, whatever power such individual has would be paralysed. I am using that to say that the energy of Aragamago will come. It is a metaphorical statement that women have enormous power to save the whole world,” he said of the performance.
Atiku, who is the founder of Art Africa Forum, AfriperFOMA and Advocate for Human Rights Through Art (AHRA), is in dire need of that power to quash this trial that holds him back right now.
“International terrorism is deadly, but domestic terrorism is deadlier,” he further stated.