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Nigerian rapper, Oladipupo "Oladips" Oladimeji has apologised to Nigerians for the controversy surrounding his "death."
Oladips recently appeared as a guest on the Naija 102.7FM radio station to explain what really happened, stressing that he did not mean to cause any harm.
"To Nigerians and my core followers, I would never play with people's emotions like that, I was actually sick sick. It was never a prank and I am really sorry for the false alarm and the distress. I take full responsibility. And from now on, I will make sure that I'm surrounded by professionals because, that's where the problem started from," he began.
Going on, he stated that he was unconscious for a three day period, adding that it was during that period that his former manager announced that he "passed away," leading to great disarray.
"I was unconscious. My team members were hitting me and I wasn’t responding so they thought I was dead. My mum told them not to take me to the hospital that they should bring me to her. I was unconscious for two to three days. I went to the hospital but it wasn’t the regular hospital. I am a son of the soil, everybody knows that. So, I’m not going to pretend. Some traditional rites were performed to revive me. My mum did all she could to bring me back to life,” the artiste continued.
His story corroborated with what his personal assistant, Abdulrasheed Opeyemi said to Punch Newspapers on Monday December 4, 2023. He had summed the whole incident up as a misunderstanding, also claiming that the entertainer was unconscious for three days when the news was announced.
He said, “I don’t know how to say this. It was a misinterpretation with the manager who has access to Oladips’ page. We all thought he was dead because he was not breathing until the third day when he was revived. By then, the manager had already shared the story. You are speaking with the right person in the label. The manager who shared the story has since been sacked. Oladips will soon address everyone on the issue.”
The news regarding Oladip's "death" has become quite the controversy since November 2023 when it was announced via his official social media handles.
"We are saddened to inform the general public that Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji, aka Oladips, passed away yesterday, November 14, Tuesday evening, at exactly 10:14 pm. We are still in shock as we speak! For over two years, he has kept his battles within himself; his body is now with his family. The family asked that we respect their privacy in this trying time. May God give us all the fortitude to bear this great loss. (amen)," the statement at the time read.
During that period, Nigerians were still grieving the loss of singer, Mohbad, who had passed away at a young age, and were therefore very saddened by the news of Oladips' "passing." However, after it was discovered that he did not really die, it quickly became a trending topic of discussion, with many tagging it as a publicity stunt to sell his album. Oladips himself, after a few days under the radar, came out to clear his name that he did not fake his death and was indeed fighting for his life.
Perhaps, this new information would help clear the skepticism in the court of public opinion.