Famous Abuja disc jockey Bashiru Bello, popularly known as DJ Bash, has reportedly lost his life after being shot by unknown gunmen on Friday.
The late DJ Bash, Club Volcano’s in-house DJ, had just performed at a well-publicised TGIF celebration to honour the NYSC Batch B ‘Passing Out’ ceremony when tragedy struck.
Mohammed Bello, DJ Bash’s older brother and a nightclub staffer, told reporters on Sunday about the circumstances surrounding his death.
He said, ‘The Chairman of Club Volcano assigned DJ Homeboy, Modee, and him (DJ Bash) to manage the club. They were DJs doubling as managers. After the show ended that night, we waited for the waitress to tally the sales.
“I was among the staff present that night. One colleague went out for water and saw someone with a machete pushing the door.
“When the colleague returned, the person with the machete forced the door open and entered. We were stunned, as such an incident had never occurred before. Shortly after, another individual, armed with a gun, entered.
“They spoke Hausa and demanded our cell phones, instructing us to lie down. When we thought they had left, some of us ran to the VIP toilet, where we hid ourselves and observed their activities. We heard them burglarizing the entire club.”
Mr. Bello further stated that when they were lying on the floor, one of the armed robbers ordered one of them to be shot.
He described the occurrence as a tremendous attack that occurred simultaneously. He stated that once the robbers left, the club bouncers informed him that they had shot DJ Bash.
“When I was in the club, wondering if they (the armed men) had left, the club bouncers now came in and told me that they had shot my brother (Dj Bash) and that I should go and see him. I ran there and saw my brother on the floor.
“When we rushed him to the hospital (name undisclosed) with the police vehicle, the doctor checked him and told us that this person had been dead for some time now. So, who knows? Perhaps, while everyone was scrambling to save themselves, he was already dead. No one can tell,” he said.
He mentioned that the armed robbers persisted in pelting the club with stones and recounted how he dodged a large stone aimed at him while in search of a vehicle to transport his brother to the hospital.
“First, I’ve never encountered anyone with such an incident. I noticed that his intestine was protruding. All I did was gently push it back in, and then his eyes were still open and he was still warm. So, we assumed he was still breathing or something. We were just assessing the situation amidst all the noise.
“The first thing I did was find a car to take him to the hospital quickly. As I rushed out to call for a vehicle, a stone was thrown at me. I dove, then hurriedly closed the gate and ran again. We retreated inside, just in case they returned another way. It seemed like they were still nearby. We contacted someone who called the police. The police vehicle arrived, and we used it to rush him to the hospital,” Mr. Bello said.
Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, verified the event for this newspaper on Saturday evening.
The police PRO stated that an investigation into the event has begun.
She said, “The police were not alerted on time, but the investigation has commenced. We are on top of the situation. We advise residents to always be conscious of their surroundings. When you notice suspicious activity, call the police immediately, and we will respond swiftly.”
