IGP orders probe as he condemns Burna Boy’s police escorts’ shooting

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has condemned the shooting involving the police escorts attached to a musician, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, at Club Cubana on Victoria Island, Lagos State.

This was confirmed in a series of tweets made by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, on Sunday.

The tweet, titled “Re: Club shooting in Lagos”, read, “The police personnel alleged and identified in the shooting incident at Club Cubana in Victoria Island, Lagos, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, have been taken into custody and are being investigated for their involvement in the incident.

“The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, who describes the circumstances surrounding the incident as unbelievable, has however condemned, in the strongest terms, the unfortunate incident.

“Consequently, the IGP has directed the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Abiodun Alabi, to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter and forward his report as urgent as possible for further action.”

Sunday PUNCH had reported that the Lagos State Police Commissioner’s Special Squad detained five policemen attached to Burna Boy, for attempted murder after they shot two fun seekers— Irebami Lawrence and another identified simply as Tolu, at Club Cubana on Wednesday.

According to a preliminary report by the Bar Beach Police Division, trouble started when the singer and five police escorts visited the nightclub around 4am on June 8.

About four policemen waited outside while one of the policemen, identified as Inspector Ibrahim, who was in mufti, accompanied the Grammy-Award-winning artiste into the club.

According to multiple witness statements, the singer was in the VIP section with three women when he spotted another woman.

He was reported to have told Ibrahim to invite the woman to join him. However, the lady’s husband was said to have lambasted the singer, insisting that it was disrespectful for any man to make advances at his wife.

After some minutes, Burna Boy reportedly made fresh advances at the woman. This infuriated her husband further and his friends who had gathered at the club.

“As things were getting heated, Ibrahim brought out his service pistol and shot multiple times while Burna Boy was laughing,” said a senior policeman.

In the process, 27-year-old Lawrence was shot in the thigh while his friend, Tolu, was hit in the head by a bullet. This caused a commotion in the club.

It was learnt that Burna Boy and his crew then drove off to one of his properties at the Elegushi end of the Lekki-Epe Expressway before leaving for Lekki Phase 1.

“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.

All his police escorts have been arrested and are currently at the Command headquarters,” said a top source at the office of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.

Sources close to the victims said 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.