Police Re-arrest Man Who Named Pet-Dog Buhari, To Appear In Court On Monday

The Ogun State Police Command yesterday, said it had rearrested Mr. Joe Chinakwe, who named his pet dog Buhari, noting that the suspect would be arraigned in court on Monday. It also stated that Chinakwe, who was earlier released a few days ago, was picked up again based on its belief that the suspect’s action was capable of provoking an ethnoreligious crisis.

Joe Chinakwe

 However, the state’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi, told newsmen that Chinakwe was rearrested yesterday to prevent the state from being plunged into crisis, adding that the complainant and his sympathisers had threatened to kill the suspect.

He further stated that the suspect was being held at the Criminal Investigation Department of the command, noting that the arrest was done to save Chinakwe’s life. In addition, the Police mouthpiece said the suspect,  had  confessed  that he   named  his pet dog Buhari and had the name written on the body of the dog.

His words: “The man is here with us. He is at the Criminal Investigation Department. The charge will be prepared here and he will be arraigned at Sango Magistrate Court on Monday.

“He is going to court on Monday because what he did was highly provocative. It can cause an ethnic and religious crisis. We have to be proactive, we cannot fold our arms and allow the state to be plunged into crisis.

“In  fact,  the arrest was made to save the suspect’s life because the complainant and his group have threatened to kill him if he comes back and this may trigger violence”.  Further investigation by Vanguard showed that the Police had not recovered the dog which may likely serve as evidence.

Chinakwe was arrested last Saturday after one of his neighbours complained that he named the dog after his father, Alhaji Buhari.