BEVERLY HILLS, January 29, (THEWILL) – Members of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) and Society of Nigerian Artists have urged the Lagos State commissioner of police to release Jelili Atiku, who is in police custody on charges of “constituting public disturbance, and inciting the public with his performance of January 14, 2016.”
The demand, contained in a letter received by THEWILL and signed by the group, revealed that the artist, who won the Prince Claus Award for Culture Development in 2015, was said to have attracted the ire of a traditional ruler around the Ejigbo area with his performance titled “Aragamago Will Rid this Land of Terrorism.”
According to the statement, the performance obviously rankled the traditional ruler of the town, who felt it was targeted at him and promptly got the artist and his crew arrested.
Jelili Atiku, 48, a multimedia Nigerian artist and human rights activist, has been in custody since he was arrested.
“The brutalisation of members of Atiku’s nuclear family including his 13-year-old niece, Rofiat Azeez, by elements of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), shows clear intimidation of the accused,” the letter read.
“We are deeply worried that a display of a visual work of art, expressed without violence, would be criminalised by members of the police force, who arrested and brutalised the artist. We are disturbed that community chieftains would so easily take advantage of the state agencies, to inflict harm on citizens who didn’t resort to violence in expressing their opinions.”
THEWILL investigation shows that this is not the first time Atiku is having a brush with local vigilantes. In October 2012, the artist claimed to have been brutally assaulted at Ajao Road off Ogunlana Drive, Surulere in Lagos, by people he identified as “private street-security” men whom he alleged had connections with OPC. The assault caused him a performance in Harare, Zimbabwe.
“We insist that an artist has a right to provoke thoughts and generate debate in society. A society in search of change from corruption to progressive ethos should be encouraging valuable dialogue,” the letter read further.
Hearing on the matter, resumes on February 1, 2016.
Story by David Oputah
