Adeyinka Fusika, a senior Nigerian advocate who also represents the persecuted Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti, has revealed the reason for the musician’s continued detention.
Due to the absence of “administrative approval” for the singer’s bail, according to Fusika, Kuti is still in custody.
In an interview with Punch on Tuesday, Fusika claimed that Seun’s bail had nothing to do with the court’s Tuesday session.
Seun was remanded in police prison by a Magistrates’ Court in Yaba presided over by Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun after being charged by the police last week for attacking a police officer.
He was given bail by the court during the May 16 hearing, but he had to stay in detention for 48 hours so that police could finish their investigation.
“The court, as you will recall, had ordered that the prosecution of the case must be by the DPP’s office and not by the police, hence, the police were also ordered to send the case file to the DPP for evaluation and decision as to prosecution.
“The court was, therefore, to sit today to receive the DPP’s advice, but did not because, as we’re informed, the magistrate is attending a training course,” Fusika noted.
He, however, claimed that the advice of the DPP was not ready as the police investigation team was still holding on to the case file.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, however, maintained that the matter was in court and he could not say much about it.
“The matter is in court already, and for that reason, we cannot talk about it,” he told The PUNCH.
According to him, an update concerning the matter will be from the head of the police legal team.
Fusika was optimistic on Tuesday about his client’s release, as he maintained that the bail had been granted already and was only awaiting “administrative approval.”
“The release of Mr Kuti on bail, as ordered by the magistrate, is only waiting for administrative approval. That process has nothing to do with whether or not the court has a physical sitting. We are hopeful that Mr. Kuti will be out today on the bail granted him, having fulfilled the terms,” he stated.
When asked what this administrative approval was all about, he said the bail warrant needed to be signed by the magistrates or any authorized person by the court
