By Olaitan Ibrahim
Renowned Nigerian fuji musician, Abass Akande, popularly known as Obesere, and his band were reportedly attacked by suspected thugs on Friday during a burial ceremony in the Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The violent incident took place at the Government Field in Okitipupa, the venue where the musician was scheduled to perform for guests at the burial.
A witness at the event, Bosede Akinyemi, confirmed the attack, telling a source that known local thugs unexpectedly stormed the venue and unleashed violence, causing panic and sending guests scrambling for safety.
“I was at the party yesterday (Friday). It was a very shameful act as the group of boys, who were known thugs in the community, caused trouble. They attacked Obesere and his band while they were entertaining guests,” Akinyemi stated.
She detailed the extent of the damage and assault, adding, “They pounced on some of Obesere’s boys and destroyed his equipment. You needed to see how I grabbed my shoes and ran. I heard one of the band members was stabbed while trying to repel the attack,” noting that musical equipment worth millions was vandalized.
The Chairman of Okitipupa LGA, Hon. Andrew Ogunsakin, confirmed the incident and strongly condemned the act of hooliganism, describing the mistreatment of Obesere and his team as “unfortunate and unacceptable.”
Hon. Ogunsakin assured the public that the actions do not reflect the values of the Ikale people and vowed that his administration would take necessary steps to address the matter and prevent recurrence against any visitors to the local government.
“I will be personally reaching out to Obesere and his team to convey our regrets. We are looking into the matter thoroughly to ensure such an incident does not repeat itself,” the Chairman added.