Armed robbers can never rob me, they respect me - Daddy Showkey declares

In an interview with Tribune, popular dancehall
star Daddy Showkey said no armed robbers in
Lagos can rob him because they respect him
too much. He said he's encountered many of
them on the streets, but they immediately let
him go and even apologize when they
recognize him. See below...
You were said to have been attacked by
those alleged to be gunmen in your
Lagos home shortly after you returned,
could you tell us what happened?
Yes, they were assassins. They came to
my house and killed one of my boys.
Thank God I was lucky. Those guys were
not armed robbers because in Nigeria
today, no armed robbers can come to my
house. It can never happen.
Why?
I grew up in the street of Ajegunle. I have
always been a street boy. Armed robbers
can never rob me. I have met a lot of
them on the streets of Lagos several times
and they will tell me Showkey Baba, we
didn’t know it was you. Please, no vex,
dey go. That respect is always there.
Armed robbers respect you? Do you
have any connection with them?
That is a story for another day, Mr
reporter.
So who were the people that came to
my house?
The people that came to my house saw
my son and asked him about my
whereabouts, he said I was not around.
My son went back inside and told one of
my boys to go and attend to the guys at
the gate, when he got there, they thought
he was my bodyguard, so they shot him.
They were inside my house for hours and
they did not take anything away. Armed
robber won’t come to my house and start
asking of Showkey, they will face what
they have come for and leave. But these
guys were asking for me and when they
didn’t see me, they left. I am sad because
they killed one of my boys.
You were said to have been shot few
months after that incident at your
house, is that true?
Yes. I was shot inside a filling station in
Lagos.
Why would anybody want to kill you?
I don’t know. I can’t even explain what
could be responsible for that but I thank
God that I have overcome that now.
Before you had that accident that kept
you out of active music for almost ten
years, the impression people had about
you was that you had reached the
eclipse of your career. Many people did
not even know you had an accident
until you came back. What do you have
to say?
First of all, let me thank God that I am
back again. Because If I had died before,
during or after the accident, this interview
will never happen. Talking about my
career before the accident, you will agree
with me that I have come a long way in
the music industry. Myself and other old
generation musicians set the ground
rolling for today’s musicians and I am
proud to say that.
But you will agree that at some point,
Showkey’s name was not as
pronounced as it used to be?
You can’t remain on top of your game for
the rest of your life. There will be a
moment when you will be forced to take
the back seat and observe things, but that
does not mean you are no more relevant
or music has nothing to do with you
again. The mistake most people make is
that when they don’t see or hear about
you, they quickly conclude that your life in
music is over. I am not surprised that
people didn’t know that I had an accident
because I didn’t come out to tell Nigerians
that I am down ooo, please help me.
Why? Are you saying that because you
have the wherewithal to handle your
predicament?
It is not about having the resources to
handle my problem, it is more of my
decision not to bother people with my
problem. Why should I disturb them in
the first place? Because they are my fans
does not mean they should know about
every step I take about my life. I asked
myself one question which was, would
Nigerians not have known if I was
arrested for drugs or something capable
of tarnishing my image?.
It seems you are sad that despite your
popularity, Nigerians did not know that
Daddy Showkey had a life-threatening
accident...
No. I am not feeling any sadness in my
heart. I am even happy right now. I can’t
be happier. I am not bothered whether
they know or they don’t. What matters to
me is that I was able to handle my
predicament through the help of God and
some people who God used to help me. I
am grateful to these people and I wish
them well in all they do. They are my
people now and they are my friends.
You have new friends now?
I didn’t say I have new friends. What I
am saying is that I have learnt new lesson
about life and I now know what
friendship is about.
So none of your friends in the music
industry came to the hospital to look
after you?
The fact is that how many of them knew
that I had an accident? How many of
them knew which hospital I was admitted
to?. It was not the matter of who was
there or not, it was the matter of how I
was able to handle my situation and
managed everything very well. Another
thing is that even those who would have
come didn’t come because of one reason
or the other but I am not bothered about
that. Life goes on my brother. You live to
learn and you learn to live. When on my
sick bed, I read a report about my
accident published by one national
newspaper in Nigeria, I wept. I wept
because that was the only newspaper that
reported it.
What single lesson did that experience
teach you?
Not a single one but many lessons but the
chief of them is caution. I have learnt how
to approach life with extreme caution.
You know why? If Showkey had died in
that accident, I am sure that by now
people would have forgotten about me.
Perhaps when they listen to any of my
songs, they may feel like ouch! that was
Showkey’s song. We missed him so much.
The bitter truth is that life goes on.
What was running on your mind when
you were on that bed? Did you at any
point remember music and your dreams
which could have gone unfulfilled?
How do I start to describe the experience
to you? It was a very bad one but I thank
God that I am lucky. The only question on
my mind was will I be able to walk again?
I was so particular about that question
that my doctors would tell me, Mr man
you will walk again. The doctors told me I
would not have been able to work again if
I had delayed the operation for few more
weeks. I still don’t believe I am walking
again because what I saw in the hospital
gave me a different impression about life
and I am grateful to God.
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