In case you missed it, Caroline Danjuma, a controversial Nollywood actress and business woman took things to a whole new level when she took to her Instagram page to accuse Sony artist Davido, just a few hours ago, of dumping the body of a man, Tagbo Umeike, at the Lagos General hospital on October 3, 2017. Danjuma shared a close relationship with Tagbo but it is unclear what the exact nature of the relationship was.
Caroline Danjuma’s Accusation in a Nutshell
Dajuma claims Tagbo is a close friend of Davido and Davido’s crew. All friends went out for a night of drinking. Tagbo drank a lot but was allegedly not that intoxicated. However, a few hours after drinking with his friends, including Davido, Danjuma alleges that Tagbo died in Davido’s car and that Davido and his friends concealed their identities and dumped Tagbo’s body at the Lagos General Hospital.
Here is what we do know for a fact:
- Tagbo is, according to his social media profile, a graduate of Lagos State University and an engineer. He is also friends with many in the entertainment business, including Davido.
- On or about the evening of October 3rd, 2017, Nigerian time, Tagbo went out for a night of drinking.
- There is a video showing Tagbo consuming alcohol and a person questioning his intake with the following warning, “Tagbo you no get body oooo hey okay.” Meaning Tagbo your body weight cannot handle the level of alcohol you are ingesting.
- There is a second video clip where a person is heard challenging Tagbo to drink more. That person’s voice sounds identical to Davido’s distinct hoarse voice.
- There is a third video clip where Tagbo is seen hovering around Davido, he is slightly staggering and looks intoxicated and he says to Davido, “Let’s go.” While Davido’s team appear to deny that Davido actually partied with Tagbo and was around when Tagbo left the club, the video clip clearly contradicts their statement (implicitly and explicitly) which means they have a full-blown crisis on their hands, especially since a death is involved.
Clip 1 With Man Warning Tagbo About his Drinking
Clip 2 With a Person Who Sounds Like Davido Encouraging Tagbo to Drink
Clip 3 Showing Davido Partying with Tagbo
Davido’s Team’s Statement Denying Davido was around Tagbo when he died
“LIB reached out to Davido’s people and they told us there’s shock in Davido’s camp over Caroline’s allegations.
They said Davido was at the Shisha lounge last night for a birthday party where he saw the late Tagbo and others and greeted everyone. He stayed for about an hour and left the party to another location. The source said hours after Davido left, someone informed him of Tagbo’s unfortunate death. He wasn’t around Tagbo or the club when he died and it wasn’t his car that conveyed him to the hospital.
The source said they don’t understand why Caroline would involve Davido in Tagbo’s unfortunate demise…” – Linda Ikeji Blog
Here are the questions I have based on the little we know:
- Did Davido and his friends create a risk of harm by buying and continuing to buy Tagbo drinks even after he was obviously intoxicated?
- Was Tagbo solely responsible for buying drinks for himself even after he was intoxicated which would place the liability of Tagbo’s death with Tagbo and (on the civil end) with the bar owners, depending on Nigerian law?
- Tagbo is intoxicated in video clip #3. At what point did he become unconscious?
- If Tagbo was unconscious before he allegedly entered Davido’s vehicle, who carried and placed him in the vehicle and who are the people that dumped his body at the hospital?
- If he was conscious when he entered the vehicle allegedly driven by Davido and his friends, did the level of intoxication he displayed clearly show Davido and his friends needed to seek emergency medical help for him immediately?
- How long did it take Davido and his friends, if indeed they drove the vehicle with Tagbo’s body, to seek medical help?
- What does Nigerian law say about criminal or civil liability where a friend continues to buy alcohol for another clearly intoxicated friend?
- What does Nigerian law say about civil and criminal liability where a bar or restaurant continues to serve alcohol to an intoxicated person?
Here is what Caroline Danjuma needs to do:
- Caroline Danjuma needs to ask questions but avoid accusing Davido and his crew of murder, whether implicit or explicitly, with hearsay evidence and nothing more.
- Danjuma needs to avoid getting on social media and being so reactionary especially if she will accuse people of being accomplices to a murder. It is defamatory to do so if it turns out she is wrong and needless to say, very damaging and hurtful.
- If Danjuma is as concerned as she claims she is for Tagbo, she needs to go to the police and provide them with all the information she has and let the police investigate the situation, promptly. Given it is one wealthy family dealing with another wealthy family, the media and global attention this story is already garnering and will continue to, I believe the police, most likely, will do their job.
Alcohol Toxicity/Poisoning
I don’t have any statistical information on alcohol poisoning in Nigeria. However, in the United States, here are the relevant parts applicable to our story on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has to say about it:
“On average, 6 people died every day from alcohol poisoning in the US from 2010 to 2012. Alcohol poisoning is caused by drinking large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time. Very high levels of alcohol in the body can shut down critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body temperature, resulting in death. Alcohol poisoning deaths affect people of all ages but are most common among middle-aged adults and men.
Problem
There are 2,200 alcohol poisoning deaths in the US each year.
Alcohol poisoning deaths:
- Most people who die are 35-64 years old.
- Most people who die are men.
Binge drinking can lead to death from alcohol poisoning.
- Binge drinking (4 or more drinks for women or 5 or more drinks for men in a short period of time) typically leads to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) that exceeds 0.08 g/dL, the legal limit for driving in all states.
- US adults who binge drink consume an average of about 8 drinks per binge, which can result in even higher levels of alcohol in the body.
- The more you drink the greater your risk of death.”
Now let’s discuss a little Nigerian criminal law.
What is Accessory After the Fact?
Nigeria’s modern statute has two key categories of people involved in crimes:
1. The Principal Offender which consists of four groups:
- Principal: The person who actually commits the crime or makes the omission which constitutes a crime;
- Aider and Abetor: The person who does an act or makes the omission for the purpose of enabling the principal offender to commit the crime;
- Enabler: The person who aids another to commit the crime.
- Person Who Procures or Counsels: The person who counsels or procures (induce or prevail on) any other person to commit the crime.
2. The Accomplices which consists of two groups:
- Accomplices: The person who facilitates, solicits, requests, or commands another to commit an offence or incites, abets, and aids in planning for committing the crime.
- Accessory after the fact: A person who knows after the fact that a crime has been committed and helps the offender to escape arrest or punishment.
Caroline Danjuma’s version of the facts makes Davido and his crew accomplices after the fact because it implies someone killed Tagbo, they knew who killed Tagbo and attempted to cover up by concealing their identities and dumping Tagbo’s body at the hospital.
Let’s see how all these shakes out for Davido and his crew. Needless to say, Davido and his crew need to speak with a criminal lawyer for representation because they are all potential suspects if the police should follow up with Danjuma’s claim and conduct its investigation. In the meantime, this is a tragic and senseless loss and my condolences to the Umeike family.
-Ms. Uduak
UPDATE: A new guy tries to explain the situation. The problem is all statements from Davido’s camp so far as to Davido’s whereabouts are contradicting.
Only small boys spend as much time as these guys spend with other men, drinking alcohol and laughing at each other’s dumb jokes. Where are the women? At what age does one realize that this type of “socializing” is immature and suspect? Riding in cars together, eating and drinking together, sitting closely with one another, smiling and laughing all night . . . that sounds like a romantic date, to me.
I’m very disappointed in David and crew. As a man with a child (children?), this type of lifestyle doesn’t even make any sense. He’s the same David who went to SA and was robbed at gunpoint by the side of a road. The same can be said for people like Wizkid, who’s been known cavort with American rappers and singers who have the stench of death and violence allover themselves. Why can’t small boys mature into the fathers that they are? One day, I fear, we’ll wake up to news that one of them has been dumped at the doors of some hospital, the way they’re carrying on.