Grammy-award-winning singer, Damini Ogulu professionally known as Burna Boy has reportedly jetted out of Nigeria to Spain after his escorts allegedly shot two people in Lagos State.
The singer was at the Club Cubana during the week alongside his police escorts when the chaotic event happened.
A preliminary police report by the Bar Beach Police Division in Lagos State revealed that the unrest happened on June 8, 2022, when Burna Boy five police officers attached to him as escorts visited Club Cubana on Victoria Island.
Burna Boy was said to have entered the VIP section of the club with one of the escorts while four others hanged around outside the club. Where he was seated, the singer who was already with three women reportedly spotted another woman and immediately sent for her.
Burna Boy according to reports, summoned Inspector Ibrahim, the officer with him in the VIP section and told him to invite the woman to come to join him.
However, the lady snubbed the invite as her husband who was said to be present, lambasted Burna Boy, insisting that it was disrespectful for any man to make advances on his wife.
A few minutes later, Burna Boy reportedly made fresh advances toward the woman and the development stirred commotion. This infuriated her husband further and his friends who had gathered at the club and the matter soon degenerated.
“As things were getting heated, Ibrahim brought out his service pistol and shot multiple times while Burna Boy was laughing,” a senior policeman told the PUNCH.
In the process, one Irebami Lawrence and another identified simply as Tolu was shot. Lawrence was reportedly shot in the thigh while Tolu got hit in the head.
It was learbed that the chaotic event comes just a few years after the Lagos State police command declared Burna Boy wanted for allegedly sending armed thugs to assault and rob fellow musician, Abiye Jumbo, aka Mr. 2Kay.
At the Club Cubana incident, some fun seekers had reportedly brought out their phones to record what was happening but the policemen began snatching and smashing phones.
“They eventually made their way out of the club and also shot into the air in order to escape. While all this happened, the Cubana management did nothing about it. In the first place, they ought not to have allowed anyone to bring in a gun into the club,” said a senior policeman.
Reports had it that Burna Boy and his crew members drove off to one of his properties in the Elegushi end of the Lekki-Epe Expressway and later Lekki Phase 1 after the incident.
“Aware of what he had done, Burna Boy took the next flight out without even informing his policemen. He only called them on video later to inform them that he had travelled to Spain. All his police escorts have been arrested and are currently at the command headquarters,” a top source at the office of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police told the PUNCH.
The police were already making attempts to protect Burna Boy because of his status while the victims were treating their wounds at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
“They want to focus all attention on the policemen and absolve Burna Boy of blame. It is obvious that the police will not do anything about the matter just like in the case of Mr 2Kay,” a friend of the victims told reporters.
A family of one of the victims who spoke with newsmen said his brother had undergone a surgery to remove the bullet from his thigh on Friday.
Jide further stated Irebami, who is based in the United States, had only arrived in Nigeria a week ago for a wedding when the unfortunate incident happened.
He also berated the management of Club Cubana for not doing enough to forestall the situation, adding that the club management had not even reached out to the family since the incident occurred.
Jide added, “My brother and his friends came in from the US for a wedding when this thing happened. The annoying part was that Burna Boy was even laughing when this shooting was taking place. He approved of what they did.
“One of the bullets grazed my brother’s friend in the head while my brother was shot in the thigh. He underwent surgery on Friday.
“The Cubana people are even denying that anything happened. They have not even reached out to us. It was only the morning of the shooting that a manager at the club, White Lion, interacted with us.”
Meanwhile, Burna Boy’s manager and Mother, Mrs Bose Ogulu could not be reached for comments on the incident as she reportedly failed to respond to her calls and text messages.
The Spokesman for the Lagos State Police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, has confirmed the incident but mentioned that the focus of the investigation is only on the policemen involved.
