Despite the perceived attitudes of many celebrities who showcase themselves as above the law, in recent cases, the law has proven to above everyone.
Here is a list of Nigerian artistes who have landed in the Police Custody so far in 2023.
Portable
Habeeb Okikiola aka Portable became the first scapegoat of the year, following a confrontation with Police officers at his bar, during which one of them allegedly sustained injuries.
In the video which made rounds on social media, Portable yelled at the police, saying it was inappropriate for them to break into his business center without permission and that they had no justification.
The police authorities reacted to the development by calling the singer’s behavior as irrational and accusing him of disrespecting police officers who were carrying out their legal duties through the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
A magistrates court in Ifo, Ogun State then heard the six-count assault-related charges against the singer and he was taken into jail by the police on Friday, March 31, 2023.
Seun Kuti
Who would have thought, Seun, the son of the legendary Fela Kuti will suffer the same fate as his father at the hands of the Nigerian Police?
Fela, a known activist and pioneer of Afrobeat, during his time, was at different times arrested and detained by the police for various reasons.
On the 13th of May, a video surfaced on social media, showing the moment Seun accosted an officer in uniform and assaulted him, physically.
Reports had it that, Kuti was stopped by the police officer on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, which seemed not to sit well with the singer.
Kuti was heard in the video saying; “You dey craze? You dey mad?” while hitting the officer, physically.
In response to the viral video, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Baba-Alkali ordered the immediate arrest of the singer and commenced investigations into the ordeal.
The singer was traced home the following day, but was not met – however, he turned himself in later, in company of his lawyer.
As of the time of this writing, Seun is still remanded in police custody while the police continue their investigation.
Worthy of Mention
Ice Prince
Rapper Ice Prince Zamani from Nigeria was detained in September 2022 on suspicion of kidnapping a police officer. This was confirmed by the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin.
On his verified Twitter account, Hundeyin described the incident that resulted in Ice Prince’s detention.
“At 3am today, @Iceprincezamani was stopped for driving without license plates. He agreed to be taken to the station- He, thereafter, abducted the police officer in his car, assaulted him and threatened to throw him in the river. He has been arrested and would be arraigned,” Hundeyin wrote.
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