'It's unlawful to handcuff Seun' - Kenneth Okonkwo slams Lagos police

Veteran Nollywood actor and spokesperson of the Labour Party (LP), Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticized the Lagos State Police for the way they handled the treatment of Nigerian Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti.

The police shared photos and videos of Kuti being shackled and having his shoes taken off while they confirmed the singer's detention.

A curious Twitter user criticized the cops for the move amid the emotions that followed the event.

Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the public relations officer for the Nigerian police, responded by saying that it was customary to follow certain steps before detaining someone.

In contrast, Kenneth Okonkwo said that it was illegal for the police to arrest the singer after he freely surrendered himself in a post he shared on social media.

He contends that Nigeria must learn to uphold the rule of law, no matter who is involved, and that a person who voluntarily surrendered to the police cannot be assumed to be violent or to be plotting an escape.

He said, “As a spokesperson for a movement seeking the entrenchment of the rule of law, I must admit that unlawful violence against any Nigeria citizen should not be condoned, especially when the person is a law enforcement agent.

“However, it’s unlawful for the police to handcuff Seun Kuti after he voluntarily surrendered to the police. Section 5(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 states, “A suspect or defendant may not be handcuffed, bound or be subjected to restraint except there is reasonable apprehension of violence or an attempt to escape”.

“A person who voluntarily submitted to the police can not be presumed to be violent or planning to escape. We must learn in this country to maintain the rule of law no matter who is involved”

Kenneth Okonkwo's post garnered mixed reactions from social media users as many took to his comment section to agree with him while others did otherwise.

See comments here:

042princejay: "Constitution doesn’t work here in Nigeria"

ikhinesandra: "They want to avoid another slap.. you cant predict seun next move"

storyofmylifetv: "You are wrong on this one Kenneth. It is a standard procedure and has nothing to do with him being violent or not"

mr.onedayy: 'The police doesn’t even know the law either do they read the Nigeria constitution.."

nobleosinachi: "So you're saying if someone with a known and previous violent encounter with a police man, e.g. a known terror1st or r0bber, surrenders to the police, he shouldn't be handcuffed?"

lyndaeze_1: "School is never a scam"

caseyyayo: "The officer should take into account the actions of the person prior to detention. If violence had already been displayed in the circumstances that led to the detention, regardless of whether or not the detention was for an offence involving violence, this could constitute adequate objective grounds for handcuffing. ANDY pls take NOTE"

Check the post below:

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A post shared by Kenneth Okonkwo (@iamkennethokonkwo)