It is a common knowledge in Nigeria that the Kuti’s have not so a good history with the Nigerian police and the security agencies at large. Beginning from their grandmother Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti; the mother of late Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti who himself was brutalized severally by the security agencies in Nigeria, the police and especially the army.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was an activist who constantly waged war against injustice and police brutality through his music. One can confidently say it’s something that when children grow up to experience, could trigger an attempt to rewrite the story seeing how their parents ‘suffered injustice’ in the hands of it own government who should naturally protect them.
Even though it’s not an excuse for why the son of Fela, Seun Anikulapo-Kuti should physically assault an officer in uniform fully kitted and about his lawful duty. No matter how we look at it and have condemn such act in strong terms, the police must and should also be reformed thoroughly.
The current leader of the Nigerian police force, Usman Alkali-Baba is doing a fantastic job and now in addition to this, former IGP Solomon Arase who is the chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) has promised to sanitize the force, and so doing at the moment.
The ordinary man on the street who is constantly harassed by the police before now has drastically reduced because the force leadership is not taking it lightly with their officers who decided to be derelict in responsibility.
See video below how Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was severely flogged even down to his buttocks;
