Arthur Greene
Five police escorts of the Nigerian afrobeats star Burna Boy have been arrested after two men were shot in a nightclub in Lagos in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to eye witness reports, the commotion began when Burna Boy, who was in the VIP section of Club Cubana, spotted a woman and told his escort, identified as Ibrahim, to invite her over.
The woman’s husband was reportedly angered by his advances, telling him to stop being disrespectful.
Undeterred, some minutes later Burna Boy, real name Damini Ogulu, tried again to invite the woman over at which point her husband and his friends became outraged.
“As things were getting heated, Ibrahim took out his pistol and shot multiple times while Burna Boy was laughing,” a senior policeman told Punch.
The 27-year-old Irebami Lawrence was shot in the leg while another man, identified only as Tolu, was hit in the head. Both are currently being treated in hospital for the injuries.
After the shooting, Burna Boy fled to one of his properties.
“Aware of what he had done, Burna Boy took the next flight out without even informing the policemen. He only made a video call to them to inform them that he had travelled to Spain,” another police source told Punch.
Force Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi confirmed on Sunday that all five of Burna Boy’s police escorts have been arrested and an investigation has been opened into the shooting.
“The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, who describes the circumstances surrounding the incident as unbelievable, has condemned, in the strongest terms, the unfortunate incident,” Adejobi wrote on Twitter.
Image source: @RollingStone
