Embattled Davido has released an official statement and CCTV footages from the night his friend Tagbo Umeike died.
The items were uploaded to Instagram on Thursday, a day after the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, accused the singer of giving false evidence about the circumstances leading to the death.
Edgal said 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.
A statement by Davido’s lawyers, Norrison Quakers, however, denied that Davido told his driver and friends to dump Tagbo’s body in the official statement.
It said Tagbo, who had too much to drink and was behaving irrationally, did not step a foot in Davido’s car on the night he died.
“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.
The statement added that the police commissioner’s statement that Davido has a case to answer in the matter has caused him a lot of embarrassment.
“It is disheartening that the image of our client is being tarnished by mischief makers whose jaundiced publications and statements have had a negative impact on our client’s emotional wellbeing, family and fan base.”
