Kokoveli In Big Trouble

Kokovelli The babyfaced hiplife musician, Kokoveli?s decision to talk about an imaginary beautiful girl in a song on his latest album, ?African woman? has not only landed him at police ?counterback? but has also exposed the ignorance of a section of the Ghana Police about the copyright law of the land.

In what is supposed to be a purely civil case, a superior officer at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Kumasi Central Police allegedly sent two police officers in a charted taxi cab to Accra to arrest Kokoveli aka Nathaniel Totime for using a line, ?Obaa yi ho ye fe, ode te mpomamu?, from an old song allegedly composed in 1979 by Kumasi-based veteran musician Attakora Manu.

A source close to Kokoveli?s lawyers, Unilegal Consult, told the Graphic Showbiz that based on a report believed to have been made against him by Attakora Manu, which was one of alleged copyright infringement, two policemen were dispatched from the Kumasi Central Police Station to Accra to effect his arrest.

Lawyers had to step in to obtain a police enquiry bail in the sum of ?100 million before the young musician was released.After the bail had been granted, Kokoveli?s lawyers petitioned the Attorney General, ?in view of the peculiar circumstances surrounding this case and especially the very suspicious manner in which the Kumasi Police sought to involve itself in a purely civil matter of copyright dispute between two musicians.?

They therefore requested the transfer of the case (if any) to the Police in Accra, to forestall any suspicions of impropriety.Graphic Showbiz?s attempt to get details of the report made by Attakora Manu at the Kumasi Central Police Station was unsuccessful but one of the officers (name withheld) who came to Accra earlier to arrest Kokoveli confirmed to this reporter on phone that there was indeed an attempt to arrest Kokoveli.

He however refused to comment further on the matter, pointing out that he needed clearance from his superiors.
In a telephone interview with Graphic Showbiz, the son of Attakora Manu, Mr B.B. Manu, who is also a musician, said he first heard ?his father?s lyrics? in Kokoveli?s song on OTEC FM in Kumasi-about a month ago.

?Andy Dosty, the DJ who aired the song told me that it was Kokoveli who brought the CD to him to play on air?, BB said. Armed with that information, BB said, he consulted his lawyer whom he claimed, advised him to report the matter to the police ?because Kokoveli had stolen my father?s song?.

He said he reported the matter to the Kumasi Police who dispatched two officers from the CID together with him, to Accra to arrest Kokovelli.?When we arrested Kokoveli and took him to the Dansoman Police Station for onward transfer to Kumasi his lawyer and producer, came to bail him with the promise that they will produce him at the Kumasi Central Police Station on Monday, October, 4, but they did not turn up.They rather sent a copy of a petition they had sent to the Attorney General?s Department?, BB said.