BBC Pidgin of Saturday, 25 March 2023

Source: BBC

Silence on London street as family bury woman wey die for Asake concert

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33 bin die from injuries Rebecca Ikumelo, 33 bin die from injuries

Di burial don happun for one woman wey die afta crush for popular Nigerian artist Asake London Concert for December 2022.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33 bin die from injuries afta plenti pipo bin dey try enta di O2 Academy, for Brixton.

Hundreds of mourners bin comot to pay dia last respects to di nursing graduate and mama.

Dis na as silence fill di street wey Ms Ikumelo family dey stay for Stratford, east London as her coffin bin dey come on top carriage wey white horses pull.

Anoda woman Gaby Hutchinson, 23 bin also die afta di incident.

But why e take ova three months to bury Rebecca?

According to wetin Mary, her sister tell BBC, "e dey so, so difficult to understand wetin we don pass through as family... we just collect Rebecca bodi back. Why e tay? We be patient family and we go fight as we dey tanda wait for justice."

Ms Ikumelu family bin no dey able to bury her since sake of say di coroner bin still dey hold her bodi.

Mary describe her late sister as "pesin wey dey so special."

Wetin happun for Asake concert?

Asake bin cut im 16th December concert short afta plenti pipo bin start to push demselves enta di venue of O2 Arena for di sold-out show.

Dis bin be one of three sold out shows wey Asake bin dey hold for London for im debut album Mr Money with the Vibes.

One eyewitness claim say about 1,000 pipo turn up for di event without tickets.

Another witness, Jay Taylor, wey be 24 years old from Greenwich, describe how some pipo, wey im sure say dem be fans wey no get ticket bin try force dia way enta di venue as organisers beg dem to stop.

She say: "Pipo begin jump on each other and dem even jump on police.

"Di stampede start around dat kain five or 10 past 10. Up until dat point, mata of safety no dey. I no understand wetin dey happun until I follow di venue organisers and di police tok.

"Wen I see say pipo begin rush go push di doors my first thought na: 'Yes, some pipo fit begin dey stab odas as dat kain tin dey occur wen plenty pipo gada, dem dey do stupid things.' Na dat time I comot."

One journalist and author Jason Okundaye, wey dey outside di venue at di time also tok say, "Outside di venue no dey safe at all, everywhere still dey slippery conditions sake of di snowstorm wey bin fall earlier, everywhere cold, di crowd dey confused and aggressive police dogs make di risk of huge crush dey likely." Met Police say dem no use police dogs for dia response.

Wetin Asake tok about di incident

For Instagram post wey im don delete, di artiste wey im real name na Ahmed Ololade say im heart dey wit all those wey wunjure for di incident.

" I also dey di process to reach out to individuals", e tok.

E add say im dey try get di brief of wetin really happun.

Di singer add say e dey sorry say di show dey cut short but dey look forward to see di London pipo again.