Court Orders Medical Tests For Seun Kuti At The Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta

Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti appears to be swimming in more trouble waters as an order has been given by the court that a medical doctor should conduct psychiatric examination on the musician.

The police had approached the court with an ex-parte application asking for extension of time for them to detain Mr Kuti for another 48 hours after the court had given them permission to detain him for four days.

This, according to the police, is to enable the force conclude its investigations into the case.

The permission was granted by Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun.

However, after adjournment, it was announced that the court ordered that the defendant should be subjected to medical test as provided for in section 5(6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2015).

As contained in the attached documents, Simon Lough (SAN), who led a police legal team to the court, had moved the application.

According to him, “the extension is to allow further investigation into the case.”

The court paper has it further: “We could not conclude investigation in 2 days, we now ask for extra 4 days to enable us to conclude the investigation.”

However, a source said that Seun Kuti refused that his blood sample be taken for medical examination.

The source added: “The Police are trying to take the Afrobeat musician to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State to declare him mentally sick. You can imagine what that can cause his music career in Nigeria and abroad.”

A closer examination of the document presented to take Seun’s blood sample showed that the court “further ordered the applicant to get a medical doctor to examine the Respondent as provided in section 5(6) Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2015. Adjourned to 23/05/for DPP’s advice.”

Analysts saw the discrepancy between what was said in court (the roll order) and the document later presented as curious. Ideally, the two documents must be in sync with each other.”

Recall that on Tuesday, May 16, Kuti was arraigned and the Chief Magistrate ordered that he should be remanded in police custody for 48 hours.

The magistrate however, held that the defendant should be admitted to bail in the sum of One Million Naira with two sureties in like sum at the end of the 48-hours.

She said that one of the sureties must be a landlord within the jurisdiction of the court.

She adjourned the case to May 22 for mention and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the case file and forward a copy to the State Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.