Pop singer, Davido, on Wednesday remembered his late friend, Tagbo Umeike, one year after the latter’s death.
Tagbo reportedly died from suffocation on October 3, 2017 after hanging out with the musician and other friends at a bar on Lagos Island.
He was said to have had too much to drink.
Remembering him in a message posted on Instagram, Davido wrote, “On this day last year! We lost our brother! We love and Miss you g! Continue to Rest In Peace Tagbo!”
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Tagbo’s death sparked a lot of controversy beginning with an allegation by Nollywood actress, Caroline Danjuma, that Davido knew something about his death.
The actress, who later confessed to having dated the deceased, said the singer asked his driver to drop Tagbo’s corpse at the hospital.
Addressing journalists on the matter, Lagos police boss, Imohimi Edgal, said Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footages from the hospital proved that Tagbo was brought in dead (BID) by Davido’s escort driver, Tunde Usutu, and two of the singer’s friends, Agbeje Olaoye and Idris Busari.
He said the men abandoned the deceased inside his ash Toyota Camry with registration number LSD378EL on the instruction of Davido.
“Investigation revealed that Davido’s white Toyota Hilux escort driver, Tunde Usutu, accompanied by one Agbeje Olaoye and one Idris Busari, both Davido’s friends, took the deceased to the General Hospital Lagos and abandoned him in his vehicle on the instruction of Davido.
“The CCTV footage at the hospital picked the escort vehicle and the entire activity. The vehicle was recovered from Davido’s residence at 7, Awoshika Street, Lekki Phase 1.
“This completely debunks Davido’s claim that he did not know how the deceased got to the General Hospital. The interim autopsy report stated that the victim died of Asphyxia,” Edgal said.
A statement by Davido’s lawyers, Norrison Quakers, however, denied that he told his driver and friends to dump Tagbo’s body in the hospital.
“For the records, we wish to state that our client has not been found culpable for the death of Mr Tagbo Umeike.
“This was earlier communicated by the police in a closed meeting involving the acting commissioner of Police, Lagos, Davido the family of the deceased and one Caroline Danjuma who claims to be the girlfriend of the deceased.
“Our client was also not involved in the untimely death of the deceased, nor did he give any instructions to anyone to ‘dump’ the corpse of Mr Tagbo Umeike anywhere.
“Further and as a matter of fact, we wish to state that the deceased did not step a foot, even for a second in any of our client’s vehicles on the evening of this sad events,” the lawyers said.
