SAHARA REPORTERS
Matthew Aderoju, popularly known as DJ Splash, has accused popular Nigerian singer and rapper, Azeez Fashola, famously known as Naira Marley, of spiking his food and drinks while with him which is currently trying to ruin his life.
SaharaReporters reported on Sunday that a woman who identified herself as DJ Splash’s mother, in an audio she sent to an online news blog, Gistlover, accused Naira Marley of ruining her son’s life after moving in with him. He noted that her son returned home with a ‘strange ailment’ and was abandoned by Naira Marley.
The woman said the problem started in 2021 after her son, DJ Splash won a competition and was given N100,000 cash.
She explained that after he won the competition, a lot of celebrities liked him and he was taken to many shows.
According to her, he later met Naira Marley and Zlatan and they danced together.
She said Naira Marley opted to take DJ Splash to live and work with him but she initially refused and insisted that her son would go to university first, but that Naira Marley agreed to send the young man to school.
But after some time, her son called her one day, asking her to come and take him away from Naira Marley’s house in the Lekki area of Lagos State where they lived.
Meanwhile, DJ Splash in an interview with actress Iyabo Ojo @iyaboojofespris which was shared on her Instagram page, alleged that Naira Marley constantly spiked his food and drinks, lamenting that something was now with him.
DJ Splash, who spoke incoherently in the interview, managed to tell his interviewer that his life had been ruined.
According to him, his mother sent him money while he was with Naira Marley.
“He doesn’t use to give me money to eat, even to put clothes. I am just trying to do something so that it doesn’t look I left home… Unfortunately, they started planning things together – maybe they tried to go into religious side – Christian and Muslim. They started planning things all together – Naira and his boys – all of them that dey house, they started planning together.
“…when I told him that I want to go into music apart from DJ, they started planning to make me mad…”.
When he was asked how he got to know that, he said he heard “during their discussion but they didn’t know that I heard what they said.”
He further stated that whenever Naira Marley was involved in something, he would want others to join in and anyone not interested would have a problem with him (Naira Marley).
Continuing he said, “I said okay, if they don’t want to support me for music I said I wouldn’t continue staying him. As they talk say how they will put something in my food, make him mad, call his mummy and plan things for him, let’s tell the mother he is not okay. They now called my mum and told her that I was not okay.
“They tried their best to make me go mad,” he said.
When asked if they spiked his food or drink, he said, “They do because this is not how I be. I am one used to studying my body. If not, what they did to me I am not I don’t behave like this before.”
He added that when he started noticing changes in his body, he stopped eating their food “and I started buying my own food.”
SaharaReporters had reported that his mother lamented that since she took her son out of Naira Marley’s house, she had been taking DJ Splash to different hospitals as he had been sick.
She said her son lost memory and had not been mentally sound but did not say if any of the hospitals diagnosed his ailment.
She said DJ Splash had become so sick that she had taken him to different hospitals and sold all she had.
However, she said her son had refused to take drugs prescribed by doctors, insisting that he would only accept drugs from Naira Marley.
Meanwhile, she accused Naira Marley of not answering her calls to date while her son’s health continued to deteriorate.
Speaking in Yoruba language, the woman said, “Hello, Gistlover, I’m the mother of Matthew Aderoju, who is also known as DJ Splash. I want Nigerians to help me. The issue started in 2021.
“He won a competition and was given N100,000 cash and they all liked him because he was good. They took him to many shows and his brother followed him. Naira Marley met him with Zlatan.”
She added, “We have a video of them together in which they danced. He said, ‘Wow, this boy is good.’ My son told me he met Naira Marley but I didn’t know who he was. We had a voice call and he pleaded with me to release my son to him. I told him he wanted to go to school and I’m a widow.
“I’m the only one taking care of them. I told him he learnt a vocation and that when he starts making some money, I want him to go to school (university). But he said I should not worry, that he would send him to school. He said he should come and stay with him.
“After he left for his place, I could not reach my son again. When we called him, we would not get him. It took long before I got him and you know in Lekki where they stay, if you don’t call, you will not be allowed to enter. I would ask my son how are things and he would say no problem, but after some time, he started asking me for money. I told him to return home if Marley didn’t keep to his promise.
“One day, my son called and asked me to come get him. He said something was wrong with him. That day, Naira Marley’s younger brother was having the naming ceremony of his baby. My son kept saying something was wrong with him but didn’t know what it was. He said we should not trust anybody, including Naira Marley.
“When we got to Lekki in the night, we met him outside and brought DJ Splash home. Since then, the problems have been massive. We took him to different hospitals. Later, he said if he didn’t see Naira Marley, he would not take drugs. I started calling Subomi, but they didn’t pick up.
“When my son noticed I was taking their numbers from his phone, he removed the SIM card and destroyed it with a stone. He broke it. He broke the phone. Later, they told me at the hospital that he lost his memory. He could not recognise me or his siblings.
“I sold my things. What they would beg to buy from me for N110,000 now, I sold for N55,000 to get money to treat my son. After some time, he started remembering things. He wanted to jump inside a well in the house.
“I could not go out for business; I was taking him everywhere. I had incurred debts at my shop. Only Wizkid or someone with a name like that gave me money; some days N15,000, some days N10,000 when I called to say ‘no money again’. He is only the person who has helped. My son would order Uber and return with the debt. Uber would say the fare is N20,000. Those ones would not know he was not well.
“I would start borrowing money from people in the neighbourhood. After some time, we had to use a chain to restrict his movement. And he was not taking the drugs prescribed for him. Later he said only Naira Marley could give him drugs. And that he was the only one who could talk to him and he would listen. I would call his mother and she would say Naira Marley is not at home.
“We are still on the issue. He doesn’t eat our food; he cooks his own food. If I prepare meat or fish, he will not eat it. He is still at home. Sometimes, he talks to himself. We are planning to take him to another place. Nigerians should help me. Who will help me?
“I bought DJ equipment for him that he took along with him to Naira Marley’s house and later he said Naira Marley also bought equipment for him.
“When the ailment started, he brought all the equipment home one day. One day, he came, ordered an Uber and took away all the equipment again. We don’t know where the equipment is now. Sometimes he would run away. Before we make any plan, he would know. He would say, ‘Mummy, I know you are planning to take me to another place’.
“The laptop I bought for him’ I don’t know where it is.”
Background
This comes a few days after the death of singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
Following his death, there have been allegations that Mohbad was assaulted by Naira Marley and his crew.
On October 6, 2022, Mohbad made a series of posts which read, “The events of the last two days have left indelible scars in my heart. I have always just wanted to create good music and to provide for my family and myself through my music. As an Artiste from the street, I thought the Marlian Family would be a good place for me.
“However, recent events and certain truths have come to light which threaten my peace, health and career. Because of these issues, I informed Naira Marley on the Marlian WhatsApp group chat of my intention to change my manager.
“This didn’t go down well with my current Manager Tunde (His Brother) There were instant angry outbursts and protests from him in the chat. I went to Naira Marley’s house with my Producer and my friend on the 4th of October, 2022, to have this conversation and reach a peaceful-resolution.
“We were in the studio, and some of the guys who work with Naira- Sid, Shuddy, Seyi and others- were present, as well as Naira and Tunde. I noticed Tunde was quite agitated as we started the discussion. In the middle of the conversation, Tunde became violent and-attacked me.
“The guys I was with were also attacked, humiliated and stripped naked by Sid, Shuddy and Seyi and some of the other boys. We were barely able to escape. 3 of us had to be checked into the hospital to get medical care for the injuries sustained during the assault.
“Naira Marley was fully present throughout this event, and in fact, coordinated some of the attacks as he instructed the boys to beat us up. Some of this was captured on video.
“It is therefore disrespectful for Naira Marley to insinuate that I started the attack because I was intoxicated as he is fully aware of the facts and circumstances surrounding this violent attack. It is not the first time Naira has lied to push his own narrative, but it will hopefully be the last.
SaharaReporters had reported how Mohbad wrote a petition to the Nigeria Police Force reporting multiple threats to his life from controversial socialite, Samson Balogun, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.
Mohbad, on June 27, 2023, filed the petition captioned “Petition of threat to life, malicious damage of properties valued the sum of five-million-naira, assault occasioning harm, oppression and conduct likely to cause breach of peace” against Sam Larry and Oba Elegushi of Eti-Osa, Lagos State.
However, the police failed to act on the petition.
