Former presidential candidate, Rev. Chris Okotie, has urged the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba, to temper justice with mercy regarding Afrobeat star, Seun Kuti, over his case with the Police.
The outspoken musician is being detained preparatory to his trial, for assaulting a Policeman during an encounter on Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos recently.
The incident has caused uproar across the country especially on social media.
In a press statement issued in Lagos on Thursday, and signed by Okotie’s media adviser, Ladi Ayodeji, the flamboyant Cleric made a case for clemency for the embattled music star.
Okotie’s plea came in the wake of the court’s extension of Seun’s detention by four days.
Below is the full text of the press statement:
“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.”