In 1972, legendary Afrobeat singer Fela Anikulapo would sing, “Trouble sleep, yanga wake am”, and just when Nigerians were starting to forget this blast from the past, Seun Kuti, the youngest son of the late Abami Eda decided to test how effective fathers words can truly be in today’s Nigeria. And on Saturday, May 13 2023, the 40-year-old singer was captured in a viral video assaulting a police officer in uniform on the third mainland bridge in Lagos. In what looked like an escalated moment, the Grammy nominee came out of his car shouting before eventually slapping and pushing the police officer while asking if he was mad. Surprisingly, the police officer was so calm in the heat of the moment. The incident has since sparked mixed reactions on social media.
Some people seem to be on Seun Kuti’s side, insisting that the police officer must have crossed his boundaries in the Nigerian police usual style. However, some people maintain that Seun Kuti had no right to assault an officer in uniform even though the force has a history of police brutality. That’s not all; many people have also begun dragging the singer for disrespecting his wife during the incident by ordering her back in the car, saying it’s a red flag that he has a violent side and maybe abusing his wife at home. The Nigerian police force immediately ordered the arrest of the youngest son of the late Afrobeat legend, and from legal pundits, he may be facing up to 3 years imprisonment. What is Seun Kuti’s side in the story? Was he a victim of police brutality, or did he take laws into his own hands unprovoked?
