David Adeleke, better known by his stage name Davido, is an Afrobeats musician.
He ran away from home as a teenager to pursue music, and according to Davido, his rich father Deji Adeleke agreed that the Nigerian government should look for him.
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.
Davido said that he ran away to London to stay with a buddy of a producer for six months when he became sick of covering up his enthusiasm.
While he was away, his relatives in Nigeria coordinated a search with immigration officials, law enforcement, the military, and others.
A recent edition of Bagfuel Brigade, an American podcast, featured the vocalist.
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 departed from the residence for around six months.
I was sought after by every security agency in Nigeria, including the army, immigration officials, and my dad, Dr. Deji Adeleke.
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.
There were men in uniform and my dad waiting. My first instinct was to reprimand me, but he embraced me instead. Upon seeing me, he was pleased.
Thanks for reading: Recounting the search for him, Davido describes the actions of the Army and Immigration officers