The Osun State Police Command has confirmed that Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, was the alleged target of an attack on the convoy of Governor Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday, August 19.
The incident occurred shortly after the governor received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and proceeded to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo.
According to the police, security personnel attached to the governor engaged unidentified men in a gun duel after an attempt was allegedly made to gain access to Davido. The singer and the governor’s children were reportedly in the convoy at the time of the incident.
The police said pandemonium broke out when suspected gang members allegedly began shooting sporadically, prompting the governor’s security detail to return fire.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said preliminary investigations indicated that members of the Eye Confraternity were allegedly targeting Davido.
Ojelabi identified one Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as “Small Rugged,” as an alleged ex-convict, suspected notorious thug and member of the Eye Confraternity who reportedly attempted to gain access to Davido but was resisted by members of the singer’s security team.
He said the confrontation allegedly attracted other suspected gang members in the area, who temporarily blocked the palace entrance and obstructed the movement of the governor’s convoy.
The police spokesperson further disclosed that a 60-year-old man, identified as Tajudeen Yusuf, was shot dead during the ensuing violence.
According to Ojelabi, the suspected gang members later left the area but allegedly shot Yusuf at Itaolokan area of Osogbo.
The police said a patrol team was immediately deployed to the scene after receiving the report, where the victim was found in a pool of blood and rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. He was, however, pronounced dead by doctors on duty.
The Osun State Police Command said it has commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident and intensified efforts to identify, arrest and prosecute the fleeing suspects.
