From all indications, the Fuji veteran who
recently celebrated 20 years on stage may be
on his way into police net if matters are not
well handled. Eye witnesses are saying that a
member of the convoy of the Fuji star over-ran
a teenage fan after Pasuma's vehicle knocked down the victim on their way from a show at
Idimu-Council area of Alimosho Local
Government Area of Lagos State. The victim, Bidemi, a 12-year old fan of
the 'Orobokibo' singer is said to have been
lurking around to get a glimpse of the star as
he was leaving the St. Augustine Events Hall,
Isheri-Idimu where the show took place only
to lose his life in the process. 'Pasuma was trying to avoid the area boys as he was leaving
and so he was driving fast and it happened
that he knocked the boy down and the vehicle
behind him ran over the boy', an eye witness
said. Pasuma is said to have been driving in his
newly acquired Range Rover Sports and did
not bother to slow down to find out what had
happened. 'He sped off without caring',
another eye witness said. But the singer's minders insist he's innocent
and absolutely unaware of what happened
after he left the event venue. Those close to
Pasuma said he wasn't initially aware of the
situation and that the decease may have been
hit by a random car coming behind the musician. Investigations reveal that 'Paso', as the singer
is fondly called in the streets was trying to
avoid the area boys who were desperate to
extort him. It has become an accepted tradition
in the Fuji industry, for Fuji artistes who
perform in an area to 'settle' the area boys because they form the largest percentage of
their fan base. Pasuma according to a few 'area boys' who
were at the scene of the incident said the self-
acclaimed Oganla of Fuji is fond of not 'settling'
the area boys and it was in this bid to avoid
being extorted that led to the untimely death
of the teenager. 'Paso no dey like to settle. Na because e no
wan settle make am drive fast like that', one of
the area boys said. Other sources say he actually tipped fans and
some miscreants, but like Oliver Twist, some
camps wanted more and the musician sped off
after he had had enough. Speaking in a
telephone conversation, Pasuma's manager,
Afolabi Oyekoya refused to confirm or deny the allegations. He was yet to issue an official
statement as at press time, and NET enquiries
were left unanswered. The family of the victim could not be reached
for comment. Our correspondents' visit to the
St. Augustine Events Centre, venue of the show
did not yield results as the management
refused to comment on the incident. All efforts to get the police officers at Idimu
Police Station Area M also proved abortive, as
the officers refused to entertain any questions
and directed that we referred the inquiry to the
office of the Police Public Relations Officer,
PPRO, whose number was switched off at the time. Pasuma is not the first celebrity to be involved
in a hit and run. Years ago, the current
president of the Actors' Guild of Nigeria,
Ibinabo Fiberesima was arrested and
imprisoned for killing a Lagos doctor. Also, last
year, singer Terry G was alleged to have been involved in a hit and run situation. It is not clear
how the case ended.
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