Former Presidential candidate, Rev Chris Okotie, has urged the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba, to show mercy upon Afrobeat star, Seun Kuti who is being prosecuted for assaulting a police officer. The musician, a son of late Afrobeat creator, Fela Anikulapo-kuti, is in detention for slapping a policeman during an encounter in traffic. In a press statement issued in Lagos and signed by his media adviser, Ladi Ayodeji, Rev Okotie made a case for amnesty for the embattled music star.
“I would like to urge the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) 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 anesthesize the gravity of this provocation. May the blessing of the God of heaven be vouchsafed to you in the plenitude of His Grace,” the statement noted.
