Cute Abiola: Lawyer explains why prosecuting the comedian is useless

A Nigerian human rights lawyer has explained why the Nigerian Police should forget about prosecuting comedian The Cute Abiola even if he’s violated their uniform.

Cute Abiola, known privately as Abdulgafar Ahmad, a former Navy personnel, has been accused of disrespecting the Nigerian Police Force’s uniform through two of his most recent comedy skits. The force threatened to investigate the incident and prosecute him if necessary.

Commenting on the development, a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said pursuing the case would not be reasonable. He said it would be difficult for the Police to establish a case against the comedian if truly what he portrayed in the video is true about the Police Force.

“By the way, the said offence is a simple offence with a punishment of only three months imprisonment or a fine of forty Naira.

“If the Magistrate Court even agrees with your argument, a fine may be imposed, and I don’t see how forty Naira fine on Cute Abiola will improve the revenue of the police or the federal government.

“Rather than dissipate your energy trying to fight skit makers for depicting the police in a way you’re not comfortable with, you should use that energy to curtail the menace, lawlessness and wanton corruption of policemen whose endless abuse of power is what has actually brought the uniform and the Force into contempt.

“By the way, you will have to define what constitutes a “police uniform” as provided for by law, and also prove beyond reasonable doubt that what Cute Abiola wore in the skit is a police uniform. It is not as simple as ABC. Law is not a joke. Criminal Litigation is not skit.”

Cute Abiola, if prosecuted and found guilty, will only spend three months in prison or pay a fine of forty Naira.

Section 251 of the Penal Code Law states that “Any person who, not being a person serving in any of the armed or police forces of Nigeria, wears the uniform of any of these forces, or any dress having the appearance or bearing any of the regimental or other distinctive marks of any such uniform, in such manner or in such circumstances as to be likely to bring contempt on that uniform, or employs any other person so to wear such uniform or dress, is guilty of a simple offence, and is liable to imprisonment for three months or to a fine of forty Naira.”