Yan Nigeria
Veteran Nigerian singer, Timaya, has claimed that the 1999 Odi massacre in Bayelsa State was carried out by the Nigerian Army on the order of the government.
Recounting the attack, he lamented that the military operation resulted in the loss of lives and property.
The singer explained that the massacre was also a personal ordeal, stressing that his mother owned a bakery in the town of Odi.
Timaya said he was conferred with the title of Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa after he sang about the Odi massacre in his hit song, ‘Dem Mama’, in 2007.
He said, “It [Odi] was part of me, too, because my mum had a bakery in the village and was supplying the whole villages… It was the village that was attacked.
“It’s very touching because we lost lives, a lot of things and history. You know when the government just says ‘go and shoot these people down’.
“I sang about it [the massacre]. That is the most I can do. I told the story, how they sent the military to burn down the village. I narrated my story and it helped me to get an impact. I became the voice, which they gave me the title of the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa State. That is the mouthpiece of the people.”
The post Timaya Shares Personal Account Of Odi Massacre, Claims Govt Sent Military To Shoot People Down appeared first on Naija News.
