Reggae artiste, Victor Essiet, has denied allegations that he was involved in a N16 million fraud.
He also described his arrest and detention by the police as unfortunate and evil.
Narrating his experience at a press conference Essiet, who is the leader of the popular group, The Mandators, said the police invaded the National Stadium, venue of the “Africa Meets Reggae International Music Festival”, and brutalised him before taking him to Ikeja where he was detained for three days.
He said: “It came to me as a shock that in the 80s, I released an album titled Rat Race which was a fallout of the despotism exhibited by the then military regime.
“The action of the police who handcuffed and battered me without showing me a warrant of arrest was unwholesome, a misnomer and despotic in relation to ethos and ethics of a democratic entity like ours whose caption is Justice and Freedom for All.
“It is disheartening that in this 21st century, police could brazenly invade a venue with armed men simply to arrest a lone ranger like me who ordinarily will not resist arrest if due process is followed.
“As an international artiste with a fan base of over 100 million worldwide, and a person whose songs were liberation and freedom oriented and to be unjustly treated is evil.
“Remember I sang to that effect for the emancipation of the human mind, body and soul with other comrades and Rastafarians; we sang to liberate South Africa from apartheid regime of the Botha and P W De Clerks of this world.
“It is unfortunate that I was invaded and dehumanised by the Nigeria police simply because of a business transaction between me and a beneficiary of my goodwill without inviting me officially. The police brutalized and made a show I invested over N200 million to flop because stories went round that SARS police were everywhere to arrest armed robbers and those stories scared would-be attendees to scamper for safety, thereby totally avoiding coming near the venue.
“I cry for this country. Nigeria is a great country if creative leaders could build institutions that will outlast generations.
“I want to use this opportunity to tell the whole world that I did not dupe anybody as reported in the media and different blogs that are presently trending false stories against me but this individual actually benefited from my goodwill.”
