The Osun State Police Command has said that music star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, was the intended target of the violence that erupted around the convoy of his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, in Osogbo on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
According to the police, the incident occurred during the governor’s visit to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, shortly after Adeleke received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Davido, who actively supported his uncle’s re-election campaign, accompanied the governor and members of the family to both the INEC office and the palace.
Police Public Relations Officer Abiodun Ojelabi stated that preliminary investigations indicated members of the Eye (Eiye) Confraternity were after Davido. He identified one Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as “Small Rugged,” an ex-convict and suspected notorious thug linked to the group, as having allegedly attempted to gain access to the singer. Taoreed was resisted by members of Davido’s security team.
“The ensuing confrontation reportedly attracted other suspected gang members in the vicinity, who temporarily blocked the entrance to the palace and obstructed the movement of the convoy of the Governor,” Ojelabi said.
Residents in the Oja Oba area reported hearing sporadic gunfire lasting more than 15 minutes as the governor’s security escorts exchanged fire with the suspected gang members, causing panic among traders and bystanders. The convoy eventually left the area safely.
Police further disclosed that a 60-year-old man, identified as Tajudeen Yusuf, was later shot d3ad. Ojelabi said the suspected gang members departed the vicinity and allegedly shot Yusuf at the Itaolokan area of Osogbo.
A police patrol team responded, found the victim in a pool of blood, and rushed him to the University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, where doctors pronounced him d3ad.
Earlier on Wednesday, Davido publicly rejected reports that gunmen attacked the governor’s convoy. In a post on X, he wrote: “Lies! It was a fight outside the palace that had nothing to do with us! The people love excellency.”
The police account differs from Davido’s initial characterisation of the incident as an unrelated fight. No injuries were reported among the governor, Davido, or their immediate security details. Investigations into the shooting and the d3ath of Tajudeen Yusuf are ongoing.
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