The attack was so severe that their driver was shot and killed on the spot.
Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has narrated his near-death experience on his way home from Abuja with his team back in 2013.
At the time, there was no flight from Abuja to Lagos, so they decided to hire a cab from Abuja to Benin instead. The rapper had successfully performed at a wedding ceremony and was on his way home when they were attacked by unknown gunmen on the road.
“It was after NYSC, and this was me working in my dad’s firm as a lawyer in 2013. Then we got a call to come to Abuja for a show. The payment was 1 million naira, and logistics would be taken care of. It was a wedding, so we took the trip. It was broad daylight, and we started the trip around 2 p.m. We fell asleep during the trip. Then we just heard a loud bang. We woke up to see these turban-tying, AK47-wielding, dangerous-looking men in the middle of the expressway,” Falz began.
After being jolted awake by the loud sound, they realized what was happening, and the gunmen opened rapid fire on their car, instantly killing their driver. The driver bled out on the person sitting next to him, but his leg remained on the accelerator, which left the car dashing forward.
He continued, “They shot at our car again, and the bullet came flying in between everyone. Everything happened so fast. They shot at us again, and the bullet hit the driver in the eye. The driver died instantly. The car started moving. It was wild. I remember seeing the car heading for a ditch and just thinking, this is it.”
The vehicle went straight into the bushes as the terrorists gunned the vehicle down, during which they all took cover and braced for impact, after which they passed out. The gunmen had caught up to them and began ransacking the car for money by the time the rapper came to.
Falz said, “Then we passed out. I was the first to come around, and the car was on its side… As soon as I got out of the car and saw one of the men asking, ‘Where is the money?’ I told him there was no money. He goes to the car looking for cash.”
The gunmen eventually relented and left them alone. Even though they were left with scars that remain to this day, thankfully, the rapper and his team lived to tell the tale 10 years later.