A human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, has given substantial reasons why the popular Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, cannot escape a three-year improvement for assaulting a police officer.
Festus Ogun condemned the assault via his Facebook page on Tuesday May 16, 2023.
According to Ogun, there is no justification for the brazen assault of an officer of law or anyone whatsoever.
“For how long shall we continue to put laws into our hands? There must be consequences for this. Lest, a perilous precedent is set which constitutes an open invitation to anarchy,” the rights activist said.
Explaining the punitive consequences of the assault, Ogun stated that “What Seun Kuti did is an abuse and should be totally condemned in the strongest words. I care less about the circumstances; all I know is that there is no justification for the assault, ridicule and inhumane treatment of the police officer who maintained his cool even in the face of resounding provocation.”
He added, “What differentiates a man from other animals is the ability to maintain our cool in the face of provocation. I rarely get angry and I say this with all sense of modesty. In fact, the teachings of the Holy Mother Church presuppose that anger is a sin. Our ability to manage anger speaks volumes of our person.
“That said, the reckless assault of the policeman is a crime under Section 356 (2) of the Criminal Code Act which puts Seun Kuti at the risk of imprisonment for three years without an option of fine.”
Ogun maintained further that “We cannot condemn assault of civilians by police and turnaround to grandstand at the instance where civilians assault to police. That is hypocrisy.”
