Troubled Seun Kuti, an afrobeat musician and the son of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is being held at the State Criminal, Investigations and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos on the direction of the Yaba Chief Magistrate Court for assaulting a police officer. The inmates have named Seun Kuti the “General Overseer” of his cell.
According to Vanguard, a copy of the Holy Bible was said to have been handed over to him as an instrument of his office. His appointment as the GO was however not without some drama after the inmates initially rejected him.
In a video that went viral, Seun was accused of slapping a police officer on the Third Mainland bridge on May 13 which prompted an order for his arrest by the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba. Seun however submitted himself to the police accompanied by his lawyers on Monday and was arraigned at a Sabo, Yaba Chief Magistrate Court on Tuesday which ordered his remand.
According to the report, after Seun was taken to the cell to join other suspected criminals, his first shocker was the raspy, deep baritone voice of the leader of the inmates who directed him to keep standing.
Chaos erupted inside the cell a short while later after it was reported that the other prisoners had rejected him.
The prisoners were pounding on their metal security door, demanding that Seun be removed from the cell.
Sources said as the uproar by the inmates escalated, Seun started negotiating for peace to reign.
That was when he noticed that the commotion his presence caused and his rejection by the inmates attracted little or no attention from the police guards.
At that stage, he reportedly promised to dole out N25,000 to them and he was directed to produce it without delay.
He had to beg for the phone to call his wife who quickly brought the money which was handed over to their leader.
The inmates subsequently accepted him (Seun) and provided a space for him to sit down.
Seun was reportedly infuriated by the ugly development that played out that he refused to eat the food provided for him including the food brought by his wife.
The hunger strike continued for almost a day and a half until he finally started eating.
The climax of the drama was that the inmates later crowned him the General Overseer of the cell and a bible was handed over to him.
That means that he is presently leading the inmates in prayer sessions whenever the need arises after which they would all chorus: GO, GO.
According to the report, Seun was seen clutching the Bible tightly with his left hand while climbing the stairs leading to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge, Waheed Ayilara, on Friday afternoon.
He was later led down the stairs and back into the cell.
