Popular artist Seun Kuti has made stunning charges about the Nigerian police force, stating that they are responsible for the country’s continued serial kidnappings.
During an Instagram live session, Kuti described his firsthand experience being imprisoned in cell one at the Panti police station, where he claimed to have been put up among serious criminals like murderers and kidnappers.
He added that many of the suspected kidnappers were police officers who served as ringleaders within their kidnapping gangs.
In his video, Kuti compared police bail demands to ransom payments, claiming that if people are compelled to pay for their release, they are effectively abducted by the state.
He cited the notorious example of Evans, previously termed the “number one kidnapping kingpin,” and said that despite his capture, abduction cases have not decreased, implying a systematic flaw among law enforcement.
Speaking mostly in pidgin, he said “Nigerian Police, wey una go put me for cell one for Panti, una think say una dey do me bad. Now, I can expose the things i found out inside the cell.
“And wetin i find out you know say if you know Panti, na two cells dey for Panti. Cell one and cell two. na cell two them dey put all the misdeameanor, if you be celebrity wey dem arrest, if u no sleep for oga office, anytime wey them want put you for cell, them go put you for cell two but most of them na oga office dem dey sleep. Me i no sleep for oga office, i want die?
“But you know wetin i discover for cell one wey dem put me with all the hardened criminals, the murderers, killers, the kidnappers, b say all the kidnapping groups, get police inside.
“All the kidnappers wey dey inside cell one with me, Police dey inside there.
“Infact, na the police be their real leaders. I swear down. No group of kidnappers wey dey that cell with me wey no get police members wey dey don arrest wey dey with am.
“It’s either de police dey with us there, or dem dey find the police e don becha (run away).
“One crew eh, them don catch them, prison warder na carry them escape, them give prison warder money, warder open gate, dem becha. so warder run, dem come arrest the warder with dem. so warder sef come dey inside cell one with dem.
“All of us dey there. Yeah. Fact.
“And now, bring me to my point. This is going to be a short life and anything wey anybody want do, make dem go take their head knock baboon, knock coal tar, make dem go dive and hug transformer. the biggest gropup of kidnappers for Nigeria na Nigerian Police.
“All of us have been kidnapped by Nigerian Police. all of us. Wetin you need to kidnap person.
“What does it mean to be kidnapped? Somebody carry you against your will, right? Then somebody pay money to release you to that person.
“Yes kidnappers dey call their own ransom, police dey call their own bail but bail is only official and bail is for free. Nobody will take money from you to bail you.
“We shouldnt pay for bail. so, anytime you give police money, that’s not bail, thats ransom.
“Bail is free. So if you are a nigerian, wey somebody done hold you and you don pay that person for dem to leave you, you have been kidnapped.
“Lets rewind back five to six years ago in this country. they arrested a man called evans. Them arrest one man dem say the man name na evans. they said evans is the number one kidnapper, kidnap kingpin of this whole world.
“Them say nobody dey kidnap for Nigeria pass Evans.
“Brothers and sisters, since dem don arrest that evans till now, since they arrest evans till now, has kidnapping reduced or increased.
“They say he is the mastermind of all the kidnap. They say say evans alone na dey commit 50% of all the kidnapping wey dey happen for Nigeria. Say him and his crew na dey kidnap everybody dey arrest everybody.
“What then happened after they arrested eveans. Even de policeman (Abba Kyari) wey dem say arrest Evans, dem hold am too. Himself go jail.
“Now, na de police man dem don release, as dem release am again, is it a coincidence that the released Kyari, dem say na supercob wey arrest evans that time not knowing him sef na his business partner because eat the end of the day wey dem arrest that Kyari, no crime wey dem no charge am for.
“There’s no crime in this country wey dem no charge Abba Kyari for; drug dealing, money laundering, 419, kidnap, everything na dey for his head.
“And if you listen, kidnapping has exploded again. So, if Nigerian police is serious about stoping kidnapping, then let the Nigerian Government workers stop kidnapping Nigerians first.
“Before me i face kidnappers wey be criminals wey dey kidnap Nigerians, let me face they ones wey i dey pay salary wey dey kidnap me.
“Everybody in Nigeria, except you’re the child of one of these our oppressors wey dey carry their own police around, you must have been kidnapped.
“I done dey go for road one day when i small, I just stand in front of my friend house. i can never forget, we stand in front of my friend house. we no give dem shishi. them lock me for cell all night.. Uncle Ben na him come bail me the next morning.
“We just stand infront of my friend house o, them come park bus. What is the scenario of being kidnapped, no be say you dey waka dey go on ur own, person go just pack motto, carry you put inside the boot, lock the boot or put you inside the motto, lock the motto then somebody go come pay money to release you?
“Why are we shouting kidnap as if were not all being kidnapped in this country?
“Them no go wear uniform, no uniform, no be police motto, just for Danfo bus or white bus or blue bus, just park, carry boys load inside the motto.
“You dey go for road, them go just block you with their motto, carry everybody put inside their motto. You go come go dey pay them money to release your loved ones.
“You go pay them money to release your brother, pay them money to release your worker, your sister, wife, husband, your children.
“I was sixteen, I can never forget i just dey in front of my friend house, Jack, and me i no want gree make them carry us but Jack mama get craze well well and Jack dey fear make him mama no come because we were standing outside late. you know like 1. a.m. in the morning.
“Jack no want make his momsi come dey make noise so he say make we just follow them. Na so them carry us o. For doing nothing. We were just standing.
“Citizens of Nigeria, what have we done? We were just standing.
Speaking on the dismantled Special Anti Robbery Squard, SARS, Kuti said, “And una dey shout #EndSARS, no SARS again, are you not still being kidnapped? Because they people will do what they do. This people will do what they do.
“They come with guns. Shey na because na poor people? See, this people will go and carry poor people, call it a raid but for them to carry rich people, it has to be kidnap. They cant just go and raid rich people na.
“So when them need to collect from una hand, when una boys wey una train give gun no give good work, when dem come to collect from una hand, na dem dey call am kidnap.
“Make everybody dey sweep am una de carpet. Money dey change hand left, right, and center. Kidnapper dey collect 50 million, 40 million, 100 million, nobody dey see am. Person dey drop the money nobody dey investigate am. Money just dey move.
“Kidnapper go charge, collect the money wey he want collect. Police go say dem rescue the person. Stories!”
Kuti urged the Nigerian government to address the underlying reasons for kidnapping in the country, emphasising that the problem goes beyond mere criminal activities.
Speaking on how to end kidnapping in the country, Kuti said, ”but i know say if we want stop kidnapping for this country, the first step is to stop the Nigerian Police from kidnapping Nigerian people. That’s the first step.
“The moment this our political elites can talk to their attack dogs, saying, leave Nigerian people alone, una go see say kidnapping go come reduce. Yes, that’s the moment kidnapping will reduce in this country.
“The moment police themselves stop kidnapping Nigerian people. They need to stop kidnapping Nigerian people. we can now look at the criminals that are involved in kidnapping, but when it is a free for all, for the institution, they’re used to it. Then una go pursue the person from police or una go say he go holiday, he take break.
“Somebody who is used to making money from kidnapping people everyday , them go just enter their police car, carry innocent person. You must come pay money to bail am.
“Seize him phone, carry them go ATM. No be police dey do all that one?
“Even the first armed robbery gang in this country, Anini, no be former police he be? No, no be him be police, na the oga of their group, DSP Iyamu. Police na full the whole Anini squad.
“But them no dey teach us history. We no remember this things. We no know that we need to clean up these institutions.
“Many of the rots wey the happen for our society comes out from the same institutions wey suppose dey stop the rot. So, the stealing of patroleum in Nigeria, is perpetrated by who mostly? NNPC!
“NNPC wey suppose dey protect the oil of Nigeria, they are the biggest thieves of the Nigerian oil.
“Banks wey suppose dey bring wealth to Nigerians, banks suppose dey bring investments, they’re the biggest thieves of Nigerian money. they’re the biggest creators of poverty.
“If you be big man wey wnt poor quick, just go bank go take loan.
“Wey our educational institutions wey suppose dey bring education and information to the minds of African people rather give indoctrination, lecturer go dey take bribe, blow job for grades. Spreading stupidity.
“It is the institutions in this country, wey suppose to protect Nigerians, those are the institutions that sabotage Nigeria.
“Any institution dey create in this country, the thing wey them suppose to dey do, na that institution go dey destroy that thing. I never see this kind people before.
“They institutions are anti-African because these people do not understand that many, all the institutions that Europeans have created, are institutions to exclude black people from the benefits of those resources that the institutions control
“Europeans create these institutions for exclusion. To remove you not to bring you inside.
“So they are happy to spread these institutions in your country, put black people to run the institutions because them know say these institutions go still create the same results.
“Go to America. i dey tell una. Go black people area for America. the same thing wey we dey experience as black people for Nigeria, na dem dey experience.”
