The Osun State Police Command has disclosed that Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, was the actual focus of Wednesday’s gun battle in Osogbo, contradicting earlier reports that had centred the incident on the convoy of his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The incident occurred shortly after Governor Adeleke, accompanied by Davido, paid a courtesy visit to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, following the governor’s re-election. Adeleke had earlier received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osogbo after being declared winner of the August 15 governorship election, before proceeding to the palace at about 3:15 p.m. in a convoy of roughly 20 vehicles to thank the monarch.
According to the Osun State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the shooting broke out after a known political thug identified as Adebayo Taoreed, popularly called “Small Rugged,” was resisted by Davido’s personal security detail while attempting to gain access to the singer. Ojelabi said the incident then drew in more members of the thug’s gang, who attempted to overpower the security detail, triggering an exchange of gunfire.
The governor’s security team responded by firing sporadically into the air and deploying tear gas to disperse the assailants before the convoy could safely leave the palace grounds. The clash reportedly left one person dead in the nearby Ita-Olokan area of Osogbo.
Shortly after the clash, Davido took to X to distance himself and the governor from the violence, writing, “It was a fight outside the palace that had nothing to do with us! The pple love excellency!”
Other accounts from the scene, however, painted a more dramatic picture of events. Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived at the palace in an unregistered Toyota Sienna bus via the Ita Olokan area and opened fire as the governor was preparing to leave, with the shooting lasting between 12 and 15 minutes. The gunmen reportedly engaged the convoy a second time near the Osogbo Central Mosque before fleeing toward Ita Olokan along the Osogbo-Ilesa Road.
The exchange of gunfire caused widespread panic across the state capital, with traders and residents abandoning their wares and businesses as the shooting intensified, and several shop owners hurriedly shutting down amid fears of further violence.
Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, initially confirmed the attack and said the governor’s security personnel had successfully repelled the assailants, describing them simply as hoodlums and stating that there was no casualty from the incident. That initial “no casualty” account was later revised following reports of one fatality in Ita-Olokan.
Wednesday’s clash caps a fraught stretch for Davido in the lead-up to and aftermath of the Osun governorship election. Just days earlier, he had alleged that soldiers were attempting to prevent him from entering Osun State ahead of the August 15 vote, a claim he posted on X after the police had announced a movement restriction across the state as part of election security measures.
He has also faced allegations from a group called the Coalition for Osun Development, which called on the Nigeria Police Force to scrutinise his convoy and political activities over claims that his celebrity status and large entourage provided cover for the movement of arms during campaign events.
The reported attack has heightened broader concerns over security in Osun State following weeks of political activity and tension surrounding the governorship election. As of this report, police had not disclosed whether any arrests had been made in connection with Wednesday’s shooting, and investigations into the incident remain ongoing.
