Nigerian Singer Fela Sues Drug Agency Over Arrest

LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuter) Maverick musician Fela AnikulapoKuti filed suit in
a Lagos court Monday against Nigeria's antinarcotics agency for his
``unlawful arrest and detention,'' his lawyer said.

Afrobeat superstar AnikulapoKuti, 58, commonly known by his first name, is
seeking $1.2 million in damages from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA) for alleged violation of his human rights, Attorney Femi Falana said.

Last week, NDLEA officials stormed the musician's home and nightclub, called
The Shrine, in Ikeja, a workingclass district in Lagos, arresting the
entertainer and more than 100 others for allegedly possessing large
quantities of marijuana.

Falana, himself a fierce critic of the Nigerian military authorities, said
AnikulapoKuti also wanted the court to ask NDLEA officers to vacate
nightclub. The suit named Maj. Gen. Musa Bamaiyi, who commands NDLEA.

Those arrested have been detained at NDLEA headquarters. Bamaiyi said at a
news conference last Friday that unspecified action would be taken against
them following an investigation. He said his agency had offered drug
counseling to AnikulapoKuti.

At the same news conference, the handcuffed musician said what he smoked was
``grass'' and not drugs.

I have been smoking for 40 years. It helps my music. People know I smoke
worldwide. It is not drugs, it is grass,'' he said.

The singer is no stranger to controversy or to the jail cell. He has a
reputation for openly smoking marijuana and dressing only in his underpants.

AnikulapoKuti has been critical of Nigeria's military rulers in the past,
but recently he has kept to his home and his club, occasionally performing in
musical shows.