Officials from the Army and Immigration began looking for Davido, as he describes in his account

Afrobeats musician David Adeleke, better known by his stage name Davido, has spoken about how, at his billionaire father Deji Adeleke’s behest, Nigerian security services began searching for him after he ran away from home as a teenager to follow his music career.

Following his mother’s death and his brothers’ overseas studies, he and his father moved into a sixteen-bedroom mansion, where he clandestinely set up a studio.

After six months of trying to bury his true feelings, Davido ran away to London to stay with a buddy of his who was a producer.

Upon returning to Nigeria, his family initiated a search operation that encompassed several security services, including immigration officials, police, and the army. The American podcast Bagfuel Brigade recently featured the singer.

All of my siblings were in the United States, so my dad and I lived alone in a sixteen-bedroom mansion, he explained. Unbeknownst to him, I had set up shop in the house. A fully-equipped studio where I smoked and made music for the most part.

I was away from the estate for around six months. The Nigerian military, immigration officials, and every other security organization in the country were all on the lookout for me—the son of Dr. Deji Adeleke—while my dad was too.

I had been staying with a buddy who is a music producer in London, and eventually I was caught at the airport on my way back.

I had no intention of returning home when I got back to Nigeria. I was planning to visit a buddy after landing at the airport, but an army officer approached me and led me outside the door the second I stepped off the plane.

My dad and a group of uniformed men were waiting. My first instinct was to reprimand me, but he embraced me instead. Seeing me made him joyful.