Nigerian music star Timaya has broken his silence over his arrest following a hit and run incident.
On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, an Instagram user Osinubi Omowumi, who claimed to be the sister of the victim, accused the music star of ramming his car into her sister after she challenged him for damaging her car.
Timaya in a statement explained what happened and also expressed his unreserved apology to the victim and family.
His statement read titled “Timaya-Ikate Ordeal” reads:
The narrative of yesterday’s incident being a hit & run is false and very misleading
On my way driving through traffic along House on the Rock road at ikate, a lady walked up to my. car and knocked on my window and later held on to my side mirror while insisting that I had scratched & damaged her car. I wound down the window to hear her out and asked her if we could at least leave the road in order to avoid a scene which she blatantly refused.
She insisted that we couldn’t move from the spot as she held onto the side mirror. I asked her for her information so we could leave the road and resolve matters appropriately, but she refused to give her number or collect mine. As she continued to insist that I make a payment for ‘damages’ immediately, the scene got more dangerous as 4-5 boys started to gather around my car, which made me more concerned and worried as I hadn’t even seen the damage done. I started to doubt the whole scenario, so I drove off to avoid being mobbed and did not notice immediately that the lady had held on to my side mirror as I drove off.
After leaving the scene, I got information that the lady had been injured as I drove off, and had been rushed to the health center. I had people rush down to the scene immediately, after searching we traced her to General Hospital, Lagos Island.
My team reached out through various channels and were eventually able to reach her sister directly who gave us the actual location of the hospital she had been admitted into. My team members were there as quickly as
possible to meet with her and her family and stayed with them till midnight when she was discharged from the hospital. I couldn’t be there in person yesterday as I had an engagement in Ogun State which I had left for.
Just to add that after members of my team had left the hospital, I had sent an emissary to the family home to see her husband that same night. My emissary discussed at length with her husband and conveyed my sincere remorse on the incident and I promised to come see him
early the next day.
My emissary pleaded with her husband to give me the chance to elaborately express how sorry I was about how things played out and to take care of things and do the
needful in a situation like this. On my way from Ogun state, I stopped at the hospital but she had been discharged, I also tried to stop by her house but could not see anyone because it was too late.
Early this morning around 7am, we went to the lady’s house. When I got to the house, I met with her husband and we got into lengthy pleas and talks. After the meeting with her husband, we were met with police officers outside the compound who invited us to the station and of course, we cooperated and are still co-operating with them.
I sympathize with the lady and I wish the events had played out differently. Under no circumstances would I intentionally wish to cause anyone harm, talk less of being involved in a hit-and-run.
The media has sadly narrated this another way, but that’s not surprising.
The thought that I can successfully stage a hit and run while in traffic and at this stage in my career is at best a big joke.
I apologize to my fans and well-wishers who must ve perceived this differently and most importantly to the lady, her husband who has been an absolute gentleman through this ordeal and her family who is dealing with the shock.
I wish her a speedy recovery, God bless her.
Signed
Timaya
