Lagos Police Detained Musical Artists Since Sunday On Charges of ‘Hunger Protest’

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

Two Lagos Island based musical artists, Ebube Victor and Okpe Kingsley Adegwu, alongside their manager, Matthew China were reportedly arrested by policemen around Chevron Lekki area on Sunday.

The artists who are currently being detained at the State Police Command lkeja, for purported involvement in Hunger strike protest were said to have been picked up at the site they were believed to be engaged in filming.E 

Speaking with our reporter, an acquaintance of Ebube who does not want her identify published said contrary to claim by the police that the artistes were protesting, said Ebube, his fellow artist and their manager were merely doing site video content shooting before they were accosted and whisked away.

According to her, “They actually went out for video content as per artist. But the police at Jakande Division arrested them, calling them protesters.

” They were arrested at about 9am on Sunday morning. From Jakande Division they were taken to Area Command, Area J at Elesekan Ibeju Lekki, and from there transfer to State Command Ikeja on Monday, where they have been till date.”

Lamenting she said she cannot understand why the police is making arrest of so-called protesters when the schedule date was still days away.

Providing material evidences to support the claim of the artistes actual activity at the area they were arrested, she called on the State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade to intervene urgently in the matter to prevent the detained artistes from further, needless suffering.

She said efforts by friends and family members, including the family lawyers to see the CP yesterday, Wednesday proved unsuccessful.

“We were at the Commissioner’s Office yesterday throughout but could not see him. We left there around 8pm. We came again today by 9am, up till now, we have not seen him, we were told that he is in a meeting”, China’s acquaintance lamented.

Our reporter could not reach the State Police Command PRO, Benjamin Hundeyin on phone to get his reaction.

Text message on the matter sent to him via his Whatsapp rebounded with a programme response that he was not available.

The same message sent to the Command’s emergency Whatsapp number was not responded to as at the time of running this story.