Nigerians are really wonderful people because I can wrap my heart around the solidarity chants I have been seeing all around. Since Sunday I have been seeing placards with the inscriptions of “free Seun Kuti” and there are social media campaigns now trending as “free Seun”.
Let’s back up here a bit and go over the incident so that some of you will understand that there is something that is fundamentally wrong with Nigerian society; Seun Kuti assaulted a police officer in uniform, and he was arrested for it, he is only arrested to be investigated and charged to court so as the court will determine if he is guilty or not, if guilty he will face the punishment but if found not to be guilty he is as free as a bird to go back home to his family but some Nigerians deem it fit to say that Seun Kuti is being illegally detained and oppressed by the Nigerian government and he should be freed hence why the “free Seun Kuti” solidarity campaign.
Honestly speaking, this whole free Seun campaign is what I’m yet to understand the motive behind it; do you all want the government to pat him on the back and caress his head and tell him well done for assaulting a police officer?
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This is the same way that some people raise solidarity campaigns in support of corrupt politicians. Some Nigerians genuinely feel that a corrupt politician who is being prosecuted is merely being oppressed due to political differences.
I have as well seen that in Nigeria everyone wants to be the oppressor; both the police and the citizens; everyone is ready to oppress and assault whomever they feel they are more physically or powerful than. I’m sure if that officer was a soldier or a more rugged-looking police officer Seun Kuti will have second thoughts before pouncing on him.
The same Seun Kuti that we have seen in a video of him boasting of having beaten up numerous police officers, is someone whose people are campaigning that he was illegally detained by the police.
I will repeat for the umpteenth time that there is no justification whatsoever to engage your fist in addressing your grievance, we have the judiciary who addresses grievances; it is even more embarrassing when you engage your fist to address your grievances with an officer of the law. You have not only assaulted that officer, but you have also assaulted the Inspector General of police and the president of the federal republic of Nigeria as well.
I’m so sure that the Nigerian police are trying as much as possible to save their face and prove that they do not condone an action like this so as to save themselves from citizens like Seun Kuti who may want to slap and punch them at the slightest provocation, hence why they will want to use Seun Kuti to set a resounding example.
Well, we hope that the law takes its due course; let the guilty be punished and let the unguilty be set free.
