Nigerians woke up to social media posts showing music superstar, Naira Marley hosting a crowded concert at Silverbird Entertainment Centre in Abuja.
The story first appeared on Twitter, with a video alleged to have been recorded by one of the concert-goers.
The video, examined by Nigerian Entertainment Today shows the controversial artiste and members of his team dancing on stage. In the clip, his fans, ‘Marlians’ were out of their cars and dancing, with no regard for social distancing and PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment).
Another video posted by the ‘Soapy’ singer showed him arriving at the capital for the concert with former Big Brother Naija housemate, Kim Oprah.
The concert was put together by Play Network Africa, Traffic Bar, El’Carnival and was sponsored by Glenfiddich. It was supposed to be a drive-through concert but fans quickly turned it into a regular pre-corona concert.
He is famous for being arrested by the police and being involved in multiple controversies. Many say he’s deliberate about courting controversies, in line with the image of ‘no manners’ he has built for himself and his fan base.
‘Naira Marley was at Funke Akindele’s house during the total lockdown. He was at Abuja during the interstate ban. He performed at a concert even though it’s prohibited at the moment. Don’t tell me bullshit, that guy might look like a sickler but he get mind. No manners’, one fan wrote on Twitter.
Another fan believes that he should not be punished for hosting the concert. He said, ‘Why should Naira Marley (who seems to like so much wahala) be arrested again when we watched on TV how several government officials who work with the president flout the lockdown rules and nothing happened to them?’
Other fans just want to know how he found a way to break the inter-state travel ban. One fan said, ‘They restricted interstate travel yet Naira Marley still found a way to teleport himself and his team from Lagos to Abuja.’
But while he was already getting battered on social media, it emerged that he is yet to be arrested by the police for flouting partial lockdown orders.
Our correspondent spoke with the spokesperson for Abuja Police, who insists that he is unaware of the concert or if he had been arrested.
We spoke with DSP Anjuguri Manzah on the phone around 11 am. ‘Sorry, I’m not aware of what you’re saying please, he told us.
We could not reach Naira Marley for comments, as his managers did not pick or return calls.
But yeah… what a mess.
