IGP orders arrest of Seun Kuti for slapping police officer

The inspector-general of police, Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the arrest of Seun Kuti.

A now-viral footage surfaced on social media on Saturday showing the singer slapping a uniformed policeman.

In the video, an enraged Kuti is seen charging at the officer on the roadside before proceeding to smack his face.

The nature of the dispute that prompted the confrontation, which occurred in the open along a street in Lagos, is not immediately clear.

However, the incident has since generated widespread condemnation of the Afrobeat singer on social media.

Lagos police PRO, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on the matter, said the IGP has ordered Kuti’s arrest.

He said the inspector-general also directed that a probe be carried out to ascertain the facts of the case.

“The IGP has equally ordered a speedy and full investigation into the remote and immediate cause(s) of the assault and prosecution of the suspect accordingly.

“IGP Usman Alkali Baba assures Nigerians that acts of contempt/disdain for symbols of authority will not be tolerated while offenders of such hideous crimes will be surely brought to book,” Hundeyin said.

In a reaction to the backlash that followed the video, Seun Kuti claimed the officer tried to kill him and his family.

“I have the proof. He has apologised and I have agreed not to press charges,” the singer said via his social handle.