Police in Nigeria’s Osun State said on Wednesday that Afrobeats star Davido was the intended target of an attack that disrupted the convoy of Governor Ademola Adeleke, though the musician has rejected that account, saying the gunfire was unrelated to him or his uncle’s entourage.
The incident took place as Adeleke visited the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo after receiving his certificate of return from Nigeria’s electoral commission, confirming his re-election. Davido, the governor’s nephew, was among those accompanying him.
Osun police spokesman Abiodun Ojelabi said preliminary investigations showed a suspected member of the Eiye Confraternity, identified as Adebayo Taoreed and known by the alias “Small Rugged,” tried to approach Davido but was stopped by the singer’s security team. Ojelabi said the confrontation drew other suspected gang members to the scene, who blocked the palace entrance and disrupted the governor’s movement.
The state government offered a different characterization of events. Kolapo Alimi, the state’s commissioner for information, described the attackers as “hoodlums” who were repelled by the governor’s security detail, adding that there were no casualties among the governor’s party.
Davido disputed both accounts of an attack tied to the convoy, writing on social media platform X that the gunfire stemmed from a separate altercation outside the palace unrelated to the governor’s entourage.
Police said a person was killed during the confrontation, though the circumstances remain under investigation. Authorities have called on the public to remain calm and have appealed for information to help identify suspects who fled the scene.
The episode came days after Adeleke won a second term as governor on August 15, defeating his closest rival by a margin of more than 66,000 votes. Police said the investigation into the incident is ongoing and further details would be released as they become available.
