BY ADELEKE ADESANYA
OPERATIVES of the Nigerian Police in Lagos, on Tuesday, reportedly laid siege to the popular Afrika Shrine.
The development, The Point learnt, followed an announcement by Seun Kuti, son of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, of plans to launch a group called ‘The Movement of the People’.
The Afrobeat singer had earlier raised the alarm that the Police and the Government had threatened to shut the popular entertainment center over his meeting with people on his planned programme.
In a post on his Instagram page (bigbirdkuti), duplicated on his Twitter handle (@RealSeunKuti), Seun revealed that “the government” made the threat in a call to his elder sister.
The Afrobeat singer also posted a letter from the Divisional Police Officer, Nigeria Police, Alausa Division, Ikeja Lagos, addressed to the Manager, The African Shrine, No. 1, NERDC Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.
The Police said, in the letter, dated November 16, 2020, titled, “Re: Mass Meeting of a Movement of the People tagged #EndSARS Movement: Lessons and Task,” that the planned meeting was “not welcome at this perilous time.”
“You are hereby warned to suspend such gathering as any infraction that may emerge from this gathering will be tag (sic) a deliberate action to sabotage the transition and restoration of the peace in Lagos State by Lagos State government and the Nigeria Police Force,” the letter stated.
Reacting, Seun wrote, “So yesterday (Sunday, November 15) the government called my eldest sister @yeniakuti and threatened to close the shrine if I hold my event there tomorrow (Tuesday, November 17) and also sent a letter to back it up.
“I respect my families’ decision not to hold the event, but I will still go ahead with all the other organisations to launch The Movement of the People tomorrow (Tuesday) and start our political resistance to the tyranny of this oppressive regime.
“This is a meeting, just a meeting of organisations, and they are basically banning the right of association. Why are they afraid of the people organising? What is democratic about this act? The last time we tried to launch, the government quickly called curfew and this time, they have used threat, but you can’t stop the will of the people.”
