Yomi Peters finally explains his armed robbery issue with Shina Peters

Yomi

Celebrated juju musician, Yomi Peters, whose latest album, Igbeyawo, is ruling the airwaves, has come out to explain what really happened the night his elder brother afrojuju musician, Sir Shina Peters, alleged him to be an armed robber.

The allegation was back in 1998, and now, 18 years after the incident, which has caused a long on/off feud between the brothers, Yomi has spoken about it again so as to clear his name once and for all as armed robbery allegations continue to trail him.

According to him, on the said night, he had gone to see Shina at his Iju Station, Lagos home to resolve some family matters because the wife of his immediate elder brother, Gbenga, had come to see him during a show at Heritage Garden, Isolo, Lagos, to complain that “my brother, Shina, had driven her out of the house she was staying with four children because her husband stayed back in America and didn’t follow her back to Nigeria. And the accommodation in question was Brother Gbenga’s share of our father’s properties.”

So he promised her to go and see Shina to resolve the issue.

On the day he went to Shina’s house, it was around 7pm and he met the gateman, who knew him and greeted him. He asked and was told his brother was at home. However, the gateman did not open the gate for him but requested he get clearance Shina. After about 30 minutes without any response, Yomi, who got someone to drive him down, said he knocked the gate again.

“I wanted to ask the security that whether my brother said he should not open the gate for us,” said Yomi. “The guy that drove me there was telling me, ‘Let’s go. I don’t think this is your brother’s house.’ I said, ‘don’t worry. Maybe he is sleeping and they’re trying to tell him.’”

Both men were waiting when they started hearing shouts of thief, thief. “We heard ole, ole (thief, thief) from the house . And the person that took me to the place is telling me, let’s go. E bi like say they are shouting armed robber on you. I said no, no, no. I was scared maybe, there is armed robber there (in Shina Peters’ house), maybe something is happening. My brother’s house, since he built the house has electric fence. So you cannot climb it. How are you going to climb light wire? So definitely, climbing the fence is a lie. I just climbed the flower (bed) to open the security house to see what is going on inside because I didn’t think it was me they were calling an armed robber. So when I tried to open it, I saw my brother with short knicker with (his) wife. And before I know it, he has called police.

“So, I said, ‘ah, my brother, is it me that you are calling armed robber?’ And police came from Oko-Oba Police Station. They said, ‘everybody stand up.’ And they saw me, they saw the second guy, they looked at us, no gun, no anything and my brother now opened the gate. When he opened the gate, it was that time I know what is going on. And Sammy, his wife, said they are 20 in number, that the rest armed robber have run away.”

Upon discovering that he and Shina were blood brothers, the police said, “This is family matter.”

He added that “the situation on the day was chaotic and if not that I was also well-known in the area, they could have killed us.”

Following the initial episode, Yomi said he entered the house and confronted Shina over the allegation of armed robbery.

“I was so mad,” he said. “I started fighting with him but some people said I should leave him.”

Yomi said that, while he and his brother were slugging it out, his brother’s wife locked the gate and unknown to him, went to call another set of police. This time, the police called Yomi an armed robber and said he should follow him to the police station in their vehicle. But Yomi said he resisted following them in their vehicle, telling the police, “the person that said I’m armed robber is supposed to follow us. He’s the one that’s supposed to write statement. He’s the one that called police.”

Yomi said it was later agreed that he and the driver that brought him should drive behind the police as well as Shina. However, he claimed Shina diverted and never reached the station.

“When we got to the junction, police station is by the right. The police took right, I followed them. My brother followed left and ran away but we didn’t know. When we got to police station, the complainant, we didn’t see him. At the end of the day, the police say ‘they will lock me.’ I said it’s better because I don’t know what to write because I don’t know what is happening. Unless I see the complainant, I can’t write anything. So, they said I should go. I said ‘I can’t go because if I go, I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. At the end of the day, they (police) said they are going to lock me up. So they locked me and that guy (driver). They seized the car of that guy.

“So, when they locked us, early in the morning, the first paper (newspaper), the DPO or somebody in the station brought the paper. It (headline) said ‘Yomi Peters with armed robbery gang invade Shina Peters’ house.’ Front page. All the papers, not inside, but front page. Within that night and morning.”

Yomi said Shina wanted to settle the matter the next day.

“He sent one of his fans, Tunde Adaba, on the second day, that he should come and tell them (police) that I am not (an) armed robber.”

But the police were adamant and said nothing could be done until Shina came himself.

“So they (police) locked Tunde Adaba.”

Yomi said Adaba’s wife now went to cause a scene at Shina’s house over the detention of her husband. It was not until the third day that Yomi said the police asked him to go.

“And I told them I can’t go.”

He said that on the third day, Shina peters came to the police station with an ex-police commissioner who pleaded with him.

“The man called me and used Bible to preach to me. He used Koran too. And I asked him one question. If the man is still alive, he would still remember. I asked him: ‘Am I an armed robber?’ He said, ‘Let’s forget it.’

He added that Shina asked the police to make him sign an undertaking that he, Yomi, “would never enter his house again.”

Yomi recalled signing the undertaking after saying “if that is what you want.”

Though Yomi said a lot of people prevailed on him to settle the rift and his brother called him after the incident and said it was over. And after a first visit, decided not to go again, especially after he was reminded that he had signed an undertaking not to go there again.

“So that day, I just wanted to please people but I saw that pleasing people can get me into trouble.So since that time, I’ve never entered his house.”

Yomi sojourned to the United States shortly after the armed robbery allegation incident but has since returned to Nigeria to resume his music in the country said he is not ‘fighting’ with his brother, Sir Shina Peters.

Rather, he’s just trying to clear his name as the allegation still trails him.