Politics

See Seun Kuti’s Allegations Against MKO Abiola: A Shocking Revelation

Published by Tope Fakinlede on July 11th, 2024.

See Seun Kuti’s Allegations Against MKO Abiola: A Shocking Revelation

Nigerian Afrobeat artist, Seun Kuti, has made startling allegations against the late MKO Abiola, accusing him of framing his father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, for armed robbery with the intent to have him killed.

Seun Kuti claims that MKO Abiola and his wife, Simbiat, conspired to falsely accuse Fela of stealing their Ferrari at gunpoint during the harsh military regime of Muhammadu Buhari. At that time, Buhari’s Deputy Head of State, Tunde Idiagbon, was enforcing strict laws that made armed robbery a capital offense, punishable by death.

In his account, Seun Kuti stated: “Abiola and his wife, Simbiat, fabricated a story that Fela and his associates robbed her of her Ferrari at gunpoint during Idiagbon’s regime. This was part of their plan to have my father executed, as armed robbery was punishable by death under Idiagbon’s laws.

“Abiola and Simbiat lodged a statement at a police station, claiming they witnessed Fela and his gang committing the robbery. This accusation led to Fela’s arrest, which could have resulted in his execution. However, Fela was performing in Cameroon on the day Simbiat alleged the robbery took place, providing him with an alibi.”

Seun explained that Fela narrowly escaped the charges because he couldn’t be in two places at once; he was either on stage in Cameroon or robbing in Lagos.

In response to the false accusation, Fela and his eldest son, Femi Kuti, staged a dramatic protest. Seun recounted: “Fela and my elder brother, Femi, took 12 buckets of faeces – as referenced in his song ‘Give Me Shit, I Give You Shit’ – and smeared them all over Abiola’s compound in the middle of the night.

“The following day, the police came to my father’s house to investigate the incident at Abiola’s residence. Fela denied any involvement, but boldly stated that given the chance, he would indeed smear Abiola’s house with faeces.”

These explosive claims by Seun Kuti shed light on the intense and dangerous conflicts that marked the era, revealing the lengths to which some were willing to go to silence dissenting voices like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.