Afrobeats superstar, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has dismissed reports that the convoy of his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state, came under attack during a visit to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji.
Davido, who acknowledged that a fight broke out outside the monarch’s palace, insisted that the incident had nothing to do with the governor or members of his entourage.
“Lies! It was a fight outside the palace that had nothing to do with us. The people love his excellency,” Davido wrote on his verified X handle on Wednesday evening.
The clarification came after reports that security personnel attached to the governor engaged unidentified men in a gun duel during Adeleke’s visit to the palace shortly after receiving his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Davido, who played a prominent role in the governor’s re-election campaign, had accompanied Adeleke to the INEC office and later to the palace.
However, the Osun State Police Command offered a different account of the incident, saying preliminary investigations indicated that suspected members of the Eye Confraternity were allegedly attempting to gain access to Davido.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abiodun Ojelabi, said one Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as “Small Rugged”, allegedly tried to gain access to the music star but was resisted by members of Davido’s security team.
According to him, the confrontation subsequently attracted other suspected gang members in the area, who allegedly blocked the palace entrance and obstructed the movement of the governor’s convoy.
The police said the confrontation later escalated into a gun battle, causing panic among residents and visitors around the Oja Oba area.
The command further disclosed that a 60-year-old man, Tajudeen Yusuf, was shot during the incident.
Ojelabi said Yusuf was found in a pool of blood at Itaolokan area of Osogbo after the suspected gang members had reportedly left the scene.
He was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, but was pronounced dead by doctors.
“The Command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident and intensified efforts to identify, apprehend and bring the fleeing suspects to justice,” Ojelabi said.
CP Samuel Etaifo, the Commissioner of Police (Election), Osun State Command, condemned the killing and assured residents that the police would deploy all available resources to apprehend those responsible.
The command also urged members of the public with relevant information to contact the nearest police station or its official channels, while cautioning residents against taking the law into their own hands.
Meanwhile, Adeleke has announced a N500 million endowment fund for victims of pre-election violence recorded across Osun State.
The governor announced the initiative on Wednesday while receiving his Certificate of Return following his re-election.
According to his Special Assistant on Digital Media, Olalekan Badmus, the fund was established to honour victims of violence recorded before the August 15 governorship election.
Badmus also disclosed that the Adeleke family would provide full scholarships up to university level for the children of persons who died in the violence.
He said the beneficiaries would be selected irrespective of their political affiliation.
The governor said the intervention would be humanitarian and not political, stressing that eligible victims would not be discriminated against on the basis of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender or social status.
A special committee headed by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, is expected to oversee the verification and compilation of beneficiaries.