Nigeria: King Sunny Ade Speaks Amid Kidnap Rumours

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Damilola Esther, one of the 78-year-old musician's children, raised concerns about his whereabouts on Monday night.

Legendary juju musician Sunday Adegeye, known as King Sunny Ade (KSA), has responded to widespread rumours of his alleged abduction.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Damilola Esther, one of the 78-year-old musician's children, raised concerns about his whereabouts on Monday night.

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

Damilola, in a series of Instagram posts, alleged that her stepbrother, Dayo, held KSA against his will and exploited him financially.

However, Emperor, one of KSA's sons, refuted the claims in an interview with this newspaper on Tuesday morning.

Dismissing the rumours, KSA, widely regarded as one of the first 'African pop musicians' to achieve international acclaim, confirmed his safety in a viral video obtained by this newspaper and denied any abduction.

Speaking inside a car, the Ondo-born singer reassured fans that he was in good health and clarified that he only took some time off to rest.

He said: "Glory to the Almighty Father in heaven. People are more important than clothes; people are the honourary clothes I wear to cover myself. I thank God and all my people around the world. My children said they wanted to see me, and everyone wanted to see me.

"During the few days I took to rest, people started saying they hadn't seen me. I thank God that I didn't go anywhere, I wasn't kidnapped, and I didn't kidnap myself either. I must thank my fans worldwide because people have been calling me non-stop for the past seventy-something hours."

Business

Furthermore, the 'Juju Music hitmaker expressed his gratitude to fans and well-wishers for their concern regarding his whereabouts.

The former chairman of the Board at the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria affirmed that he had been attending to his business affairs,

"Right now, I'm on my way to a show. I was at a show last Saturday in Lekki, Lagos State, so I'm surprised people are saying I was kidnapped. I wasn't kidnapped. I thank Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu, and everyone for their concern", said KSA, who was described in 'The New York Times' as 'one of the world's great band leaders.'

Legal action

Moreover, the 'Synchro System' crooner issued a statement on his Instagram page, warning bloggers against spreading false information about him.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by SUNDAY ADENIYI ADEGEYE (@iamkingsunnyade)

He threatened to take legal action against any blogger found tarnishing his reputation with fake or doctored content.

He wrote, "I, Dr Sunday Adeniyi-Adegeye MFR, also known as King Sunny Ade, is alive and well. The falsehood about my disappearance or being missing by Damilola Esther Adeniyi-Adegeye and her cohorts is entirely false. I am alive and well and grateful for the love and support of my fans. Thanks for your concern.

"It's essential to address the falsehood and fabricated news by Damilola Esther Adeniyi Adegeye and her associates and to assure the general public and loved ones that I am alive and safe. Lastly, I utilise this medium to admonish the blogger(s) responsible for this mischievous act alongside those that take undue privileges to trample on my hard-earned reputation and image to desist forthwith otherwise be prepared to face the wrath of the law."

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 120 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.