Ogun State Man Goes to Jail for Naming His Pet Dog ‘Buhari’

Ogun State Man Goes to Jail for Naming His Pet Dog ‘Buhari’

Over the weekend, a 30-year-old trader, Joe Fortemose Chinakwe, was arrested by the Ogun State Police for reportedly naming his dog ‘Buhari’. This came after a complaint was filed by his neighbour, a northerner.

Sources told Vanguard that following Chinakwe’s arrest, the police tried to retrieve the dog as evidence, but this failed as Chinakwe is alleged to have gotten his relatives to kill and eat the dog’s meat.

Chinakwe was refused bail and transferred to the police headquarters after his northern neighbour’s kinsmen threatened to kill him if he is granted bail.

Speaking with Vanguard, Chinakwe’s relative, Chiedozie, said:

“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.”

A police source said Chinakwe had incited the northerners.

“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, the acting Police spokesman in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, ASP, said Chinakwe would be charged to court for breach of peace.

“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 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.”

However, the ASP refuted claims that Chinakwe’s relatives killed and ate the dog.

“The dog cannot follow anybody except the owner. We will use him as our evidence because he did not deny it,” the ASP said.