Man arrested for naming his dog Buhari in Ogun

Joe Fortemose Chinakwe was arrested after one of his neighbours of Northern extraction complained bitterly that he named his dog after his father, Alhaji Buhari.

According to Vanguard, Chinakwe told his friend to kill the dog and eat the meat as his accuser and his kinsmen reportedly threatened to kill the trader if he was released on bail.

A relation to the suspect, identified as Chiedozie, said Chinakwe was being persecuted for no just cause and expressed fears that he may either be poisoned inside police cell or thrown into jail.

“Chinakwe is a lover of dogs and he names them after things that tickle him. He bought this dog a year ago and named it Buhari. Unfortunately, some Northerners, who dominate the vicinity where he resides misconstrued his intention and connived to take him up. The complainant then claimed it was derogatory because his father answers Buhari.”

"But a police source said “he not only named the dog Buhari but boldly wrote it on the body of both sides of the dog and was seen parading the neighbourhood dominated by Northerners with it."

Confirming the arrest of the trader, the acting Police spokesman in Ogun state, Abimbola Oyeyemi said he was still trying to get the Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Sango for details.

“I have made inquiries. The man bought a dog and inscribed Buhari on both sides of its body. One Mallam lodged a complaint and when our men got there, we found out that it was true. You know such thing can cause serious breach of the peace and ethnic or religious unrest. We are charging him to court for conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.”

He added that; “He was arrested last Saturday and we are taking him to court later today (Tuesday) or tomorrow morning (today). You know an average Northerner will feel bad over such a thing. It can cause serious ethnic crisis or religious confrontation because when you are relegating such a name to a certain person, you are indirectly insulting him.”

"But the spokesman said the dog will be used as evidence against the suspect; “The dog cannot follow anybody except the owner. We will use him as our evidence because he did not deny it."