Popular Nigerian singer, Inetimi Odon, also known as Timaya, has shared how the 1999 Odi massacre in Bayelsa State affected his family deeply.
Speaking during an interview on Joey Akan’s Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, Timaya revealed that his mother owned a bakery in Odi before it was destroyed during the military attack on the community.
He said the bakery used to supply bread to the whole village. Although he was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Timaya said he is from Bayelsa and has strong ties to Odi.
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He described the experience as very personal, saying they lost lives and properties during the attack. The Odi massacre happened in 1999 when the Nigerian military invaded the town during a conflict in the Niger Delta.
Reports say over 900 civilians were killed, and the town was nearly wiped out. Timaya also revealed that his 2007 hit song Dem Mama was inspired by the massacre.
He said the song helped him tell the story of what happened and made him a voice for his people. “They gave me the title Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa State That is the mouthpiece of the people,” he added.
