The Lagos State Police Command has secured a court order to detain embattled Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti till Monday.

The defendant’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN) said the police approached the Magistrate’s Court in Yaba for variation of the bail earlier granted to the singer.

The lawyer said the singer was not represented in court on Thursday as the police did not inform his legal team that they were appearing in court.

Olumide-Fusika said by the time he got to court, the deed had been done.

The lawyer said though the police applied for the variation of the bail, the Magistrate refused and extended Kuti’s detention till Monday.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, could not be reached for comments as of the time of filing this report.

On Tuesday, the court granted Kuti bail with conditions to be met within 48 hours.

The musician has been at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba since Monday after he turned himself in to the police following an order for his arrest by the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba.

The singer was captured on video slapping and assaulting a policeman on a busy Lagos road.

Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), who is counsel to afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti, has faulted the procedure adopted by the police in seeking a further remand of his client.

In a letter dated Thursday, May 18, 2023, and addressed to the lead police prosecutor in the case, DCP Simon Lough (SAN), Seun’s counsel also accused the police of engaging in a media trial of his client.

He noted that after the court granted Seun Kuti bail on Tuesday, May 16, including the term that his release on bail shall be effective after forty-eight hours from that date.

The police, he argued, should have known that any application to vary the bail terms, cannot be exparte but on notice to Mr. Kuti’s defence team.

Olumide-Fusika also drew the attention of the police to the Administration of Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill, 2021 bill signed into law by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in September 2021.

Section 9(a) of the law states: “As from the commencement of this law, the police shall refrain from parading any suspect before the media”.

The Senior Advocate accused the Police of creating a circus and turning a simple and straightforward matter into a “national emergency”.

While wondering when his client will be charged for “attacking and slapping a police officer in uniform” as the police have alleged, he reiterated that Seun Kuti is patiently waiting to offer his defence to the alleged offence.