Music icon Innocent “2Baba” Idibia and his wife, Natasha Osawaru, a member of the Edo State House of Assembly, are currently trending on social media.
The couple went viral after they were seen arguing during an Instagram Live session hosted by Daddy Freeze, alongside the resurfacing of an old video purporting to show the singer’s alleged arrest in the United Kingdom (UK) for fighting Ms Osawaru.
The 50-year-old joined Daddy Freeze’s live broadcast, accompanied by several other participants, including his former employee and individuals he was familiar with.
In a video posted on Daddy Freeze’s Facebook page on Monday, the moment the “African Queen” hitmaker joined the session, a scuffle broke out between him and Natasha, prompting him to exit abruptly.
Alleged UK arrest
Meanwhile, the viral clip alleging the singer’s arrest in the UK was posted by Cutie_juls on Monday.
The footage shows officers speaking with 2Baba outside what appears to be a retail store before escorting him away with his hands cuffed behind his back.
The emergence of the arrest video and the couple’s scuffle on Daddy Freeze’s live session are just hours apart.
As of press time, the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident remain unclear, and UK authorities have not issued any statement confirming the arrest.
This newspaper reported that, in October, 2Baba denied being arrested after failing to perform at a scheduled show at 1 Mark Lane, London, EC3R 7AH, opposite Fenchurch Street Station.
The singer, who was on a UK tour packaged by Nero Experience and Nero Entertainment, had been billed to perform, but despite fans turning up with purchased tickets, he did not appear.
He later denied claims that he was arrested, stating that his absence resulted from a medical emergency and not any encounter with the police.
For the record, this was what he said: “First of all, I want to appreciate everybody who came out. We had a medical emergency, and it was tough. So, to the organisers and everyone who came out, we will regroup and make something wonderful happen. And if you don’t know something, please don’t talk about it.”
Ex-worker speaks
Meanwhile, a former employee of 2Baba, speaking in an interview with Daddy Freeze, alleged that an altercation occurred between the singer and Natasha during his UK tour.
Identified as Kaka, the former staff member said he accompanied 2Baba on the tour and alleged that Natasha was opposed to the singer’s growth.
“What baffles me the most is that the first time I heard him speak out was when we were in the UK. Here in Nigeria, he hardly spoke out against her. But in the UK, he really wanted his music to thrive; he wanted his business to succeed. But he was, let me put it this way, he was afraid. When she brought him back to Nigeria from the UK during the tour, she attacked him again. When we heard about it, we said that if the bottle she picked then mistakenly caught 2Baba, we’d be hearing another story.
“Everybody has turned their backs now, even me. I had to walk away because…this woman doesn’t let business move forward. She doesn’t listen. You have no experience with this thing. You want to do it. She’s not listening. She doesn’t want his growth. She believes that if he gets too big, she won’t be able to hold him down. I don’t think this’s just… I think it’s psychological. She has conditioned him in a way that he believes… Psychological abuse, that’s what I’m saying. Psychological abuse. That he believes that without her, he can’t make it.”
He alleged that Natasha had helped diminish the “2Baba mentality.”
“She reduces his mental capacity in the house. I don’t know how she did it, but I know that people do it. Because I’ve actually experienced it once in my life. Somebody made me feel like I was less than myself. And I was living in a shell. So, I know it’s possible and it can be done. You know? Wow. A whole legend. It’s scary. It’s seriously scary. It’s seriously scary. There are many things I can’t say. I can’t say them. Even if I can prove them, I can’t say them.”
Lagos Airport fracas
Furthermore, the singer’s former staff confirmed that there was an altercation between 2Baba and his wife at Lagos Airport before their flight to the UK.
He also revealed that she sometimes felt neglected by the singer, who, he explained, naturally attracts a great deal of attention.
According to him, the singer receives attention wherever he goes because people recognise him and want to engage with him.
“There were issues between them. There was rancour at Lagos Airport because I knew very soon someone might release a video of the incident. Something happened at Lagos Airport between 2Baba and Natasha. There was a small fracas. On that day, we had landed with our luggage, and I said, ‘Okay, 2Baba, you and Natasha should go and wait in the bus while we gather the luggage and come to meet you.’
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“I think 2Baba had gone because the Air Peace staff were waiting to escort us to the international wing, and they then escorted 2Baba out. According to the Air Peace staff, 2Baba was asking, ‘Where is Natasha? Let’s go back and get her.’ As he was returning, Natasha began saying he left her and started causing a scene. I told her to calm down and be civil, but she kept shouting and screaming,” said 2Baba’s former staff.
He further revealed that he continued to persuade the lawmaker right up to their arrival at the UK airport.
“We eventually boarded the plane, and the commotion continued even when we reached the lounge. I had to persuade her to sit with 2Baba since they had business class tickets. When we arrived at the UK airport, everyone came to welcome us.”
