20th November, 2023
By Taiwo Okanlawon
Nigerian rapper Folarin Falana, also known as Falz, has narrated how he and his managers survived a near-death experience during the peak of Boko Haram in 2013.
In a chat with Gbemi O during the first-ever episode of House21 TV’s brand new show #UNTAPPED, the rapper and his managers Femisoro Ajayi and Sidney Sule recounted how they were attacked by armed men.
The trio said they took a road trip to Abuja after Falz was invited to perform at a wedding ceremony.
Falz said that, during their trip back, they were shot at by “turban-tying, AK47-wielding, dangerous-looking men” on the expressway.
He said their driver was killed, and the vehicle headed towards the forest. He said they all passed out.
The rapper said the armed robbers eventually retreated into the forest after hearing the police sirens.
“It was after NYSC and this was me working in my dad’s firm as a lawyer in 2013,” he said.
“Then we got a call to come to Abuja for a show. The payment was N1 million and logistics will be taken care of. It was a wedding, so we took the trip.
“There was no flight from Abuja to Lagos. So we hired a car from Abuja to Benin. I led a solid prayer and it was probably what ended up saving us.
“It was broad daylight and we started the trip around 2 pm. We fell asleep during the trip.
“Then we just heard a loud bang. We woke up to see these turban-tying, AK47-wielding, dangerous-looking men in the middle of the expressway.
“The bang we heard was a gunshot they had shot at the car. They shot at our car again and the bullet came flying in between everyone. Everything happened so fast.
“They shot at us again and the bullet hit the driver in the eye. The driver died instantly. The car started moving. It was wild. I remember seeing the car heading for a ditch and just thinking this is it.
“Then we passed out. I was the first to come around. I got out of the car and saw one of the men asking ‘Where is the money?’ I told him there was no money. He goes to the car looking for cash.
“We had left Abuja but we hadn’t gotten to Lokoja. It was all forest. It was the peak of Boko Haram and we were somewhere in the north.
“We started to hear sirens from far away. The police did not come near. At this point, they increased fire and started shooting. They later moved away from us and retreated.
“We tried to stop cars on the expressway, but not a single soul stopped. A police guy eventually came and another guy said he was a doctor.”
