Osogbo gunfire: Davido rejects report of attack on Adeleke’s convoy

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has disputed a report that gunmen attacked the convoy of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke in Osogbo on Wednesday.

Davido, who is the governor’s nephew, said the gunfire reported during the governor’s visit to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, was the result of a separate confrontation outside the palace and had nothing to do with the governor’s entourage.

“Lies! It was a fight outside the palace that had nothing to do with us! The people love excellency!” Davido wrote on X.

The reaction followed reports that gunmen allegedly attacked Adeleke’s convoy shortly after his visit to the monarch, triggering an exchange of gunfire with security personnel attached to the governor.

The incident reportedly occurred after Adeleke left the palace hall, where he had met with the Ataoja, shortly after receiving his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osogbo.

Adeleke arrived at the palace at about 3:15 p.m. in a motorcade of roughly 20 vehicles after leaving the INEC headquarters.

According to an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, the governor and his entourage were received by Oba Oyetunji, and Adeleke reportedly presented his Certificate of Return to the monarch.

The eyewitness said the situation became tense after the meeting ended and the monarch had offered prayers.

She said Adeleke had already left the palace hall through an exit traditionally reserved for the monarch and his wives and had entered the vehicle conveying him and some close aides when heavy gunfire was heard.

“He was already in the bus that brought him and his close aides to the palace when we started hearing heavy gunshots,” she said.

The eyewitness alleged that the attackers arrived in an unregistered Sienna space bus through the Ita Olokan area of Osogbo.

She said the shooting lasted between 12 and 15 minutes, during which the governor’s security personnel exchanged gunfire with the assailants before they eventually fled the scene.

Davido’s account, however, differs from the description of the incident as an attack on the governor’s convoy. While acknowledging that a fight occurred outside the palace, he insisted that it was unrelated to Adeleke and his entourage.

The circumstances surrounding the reported shooting, including the identity and motive of those involved, remained unclear.

The reported incident occurred on the same day Adeleke received his certificate of return after winning a second term in the August 15 governorship election.

Adeleke defeated his closest challenger, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with 511,067 votes to 444,815, a margin of 66,252 votes.

The development also came shortly after Adeleke pledged to forgive his political opponents and govern all residents of the state.

The governor said he had no reason to remain bitter against those who opposed him during the election and called on them to join hands with his administration to move Osun State forward.