Nigerian artistes Omah Lay, Tems arrested ‘for breaking COVID-19 rules’ in Uganda

Nigerian artistes, Omah Lay and Tems, will remain in the custody of the Uganda Police Force till Wednesday, December 16.

The police force announced this on Monday via its official Twitter handle.

This was after the fast-rising Nigerian stars were arraigned at a court in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.

The UPF said the earlier plans of releasing them on police bond were suspended after the Office of the DPP sanctioned their case file.

Police officers earlier arrested the Nigerian fast-rising stars in Kampala, Uganda capital for flouting COVID-19 guidelines.

They were arrested after performing on Saturday night at a concert held in Speke Resort, Wavamunno Road, Kampala, Uganda.

Assistant Superintendent of Police and Deputy Police Spokesperson, Kampala Metropolitan Police, Luk Owoyesigyire, confirmed their arrest in a tweet on Sunday.

“Katwe police have arrested Nigerian Artist Omah Lay, the manager of the venue one Dungu Ivan and the Events manager Prim Kasana are also in custody.

“Temilade Openiyi Aka Ms Tems (Artist) also been arrested with her manager Muyiwa Awomiyi,” the police boss said on Twitter.

Apart from Omah Lay and Tems who were arrested, their managers and the organizers of the event were also arrested.

Three police officers, including the area officer in charge of the police station in the area, were also arrested. The policemen were arrested for failing to detect the criminal acts that took place in their area of jurisdiction, the police said.

In their statement, the Ugandan police alleged that the organizers of the concert first held lunch and dinner events, but later on at night started inviting artists to perform.

Following the outbreak of coronavirus in Uganda, the country’s Ministry of Health issued guidelines suspending concerts to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

The arrest of the Nigerian stars has been met with an outcry on social media.

Nigerian celebrities including Fireboy DML and Laycon, winner Big Brother Naija reality television show have called for their release using the hashtag #FreeOmahLay #FreeTems.

Both singers were arrested in Uganda for flouting COVID-19 guidelines. They were arrested after their performances at The Big Brunch, which held at Speke Resort, Wavamunno Rd, Kampala, Uganda.

In a series of tweets posted by Omah Lay, he revealed that he was in cuffs. In his tweets, the singer stated that they had tried to secure their bail but all to no avail.

He wrote, “I’m in cuffs in Uganda right now with Tems. I’m just a singer trying to entertain, why am I being set up in Uganda? I didn’t organize a show, I came on stage and saw teeming fans and sang to them…Why am I being detained? Why am I not been given a right to a fair hearing? Why is Uganda not letting @NigeriaMFA step into this? They have been trying to secure our release to no avail. Is there something bigger at play in Uganda? Why do I have to take the fall for it???”