Assault: Court extends Seun Kuti's remand by four days

Seun Kuti, the controversial Afrobeat artist, was sentenced to remain in police prison for an additional four days on Thursday by the Lagos State Magistrates' Court.

In response to a viral video that showed the singer hitting Inspector Mohammed Aminu on Lagos' Third Mainland Bridge last Saturday, the musician was brought before a judge on Tuesday.

Adeola Olatubosun, the Chief Magistrate, had on Tuesday authorised the police to hold the defendant in custody for a period of 48 hours, which ended on Thursday.

However, the police requested an extension of the singer's remand in an ex parte motion that they presented to the court on Thursday.

The 11-man police prosecuting team, led by Simon Lough (SAN), told the magistrate that investigations into the case against the singer had yet to be concluded and that more time was needed.

The motion ex parte was supported with a 12-paragraph affidavit and one exhibit.

Moving the motion, Lough said, “It is our humble submission that from the facts, nature, and circumstance of this case, the applicant is entitled to the relief sought from this honourable court in the interest of justice, public order, and morality.”

Although Mr. Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika's (SAN) defence attorney, Femi Akinyemi, asked the court to adjourn the case, the court nonetheless granted the request for an extension of remand.

She commanded that Seun Kuti be held in police custody for a total of four more days.

Additionally, she gave the directive to make a duplicate of the case file and send it to the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal counsel.

The case was then postponed to May 23, 2023, by the judge.

Seun, the youngest child of the late Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti, reportedly ran into difficulty after a video showing him punching a police officer on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State went viral last Saturday, according to The PUNCH.

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