Nigerian music superstar, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has shared a story of how his father, billionaire businessman Dr. Deji Adeleke, reacted after he fled their home to pursue a career in music.
According to The Nation, Davido, while speaking during a recent episode of the American podcast Bagfuel Brigade, the Afrobeats singer recounted the events that followed his decision to leave home without informing his family.
According to Davido, he was living alone with his father in a massive 16-bedroom mansion at the time, as all his siblings were schooling in the United States.
Unknown to his father, he had secretly set up a full music studio inside the house where he spent most of his time recording and experimenting with sounds.
“I was living alone with my dad in a 16-bedroom mansion because all my siblings were in America. I had a studio in the house and he didn’t know. A complete studio where I spent most of my time making music and smoking,” Davido said.
The Timeless hitmaker recounted that he eventually fled the mansion for about six months, determined to chase his musical dreams without interference.
His sudden disappearance sparked panic, prompting his father to deploy every resource available — from the army to immigration officers — to search for him across Nigeria.
“I left the mansion for about six months. My dad was looking for me, the army, Immigration officers, Every security agency in Nigeria was looking for Dr. Deji Adeleke’s son, which is me,” he stated.
Davido was eventually caught at the airport while returning from London, where he had been staying with a producer friend, making music.
Narrating the scene, he said, “When I returned to Nigeria, I wasn’t planning to go home. I landed at the airport with the intention to go to a friend’s place — but the moment I stepped out, an army officer walked up to me and escorted me outside.
“The whole army was outside, like 20 of them and then I saw my dad, hugged him. He was like why did you run away, I said I wanted to do music. I just didn’t know how to tell you”
