Nigerian music star Timaya has opened up about the traumatic impact of the 1999 Odi massacre in Bayelsa State, describing the incident as both a national tragedy and a personal experience.

Speaking about the military operation, Timaya recalled how the Nigerian Army, acting on government orders, invaded the predominantly Ijaw community of Odi, resulting in widespread destruction and loss of lives.

The singer shared that the tragedy struck close to home, revealing that his mother operated a bakery in Odi at the time of the attack.

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“It [Odi] was part of me, too, because my mum had a bakery in the village and was supplying the whole villages… It was the village that was attacked,” he said.

Timaya described the massacre as deeply painful, highlighting the irreversible damage it caused. “It’s very touching because we lost lives, a lot of things and history. You know when the government just says ‘go and shoot these people down’,” he added.

The incident became the subject of his 2007 breakthrough track ‘Dem Mama’, through which he narrated the events of the military invasion. According to him, the song not only gave voice to the community’s pain but also solidified his role as a representative of his people.

“I sang about it [the massacre]. That is the most I can do. I told the story, how they sent the military to burn down the village. I narrated my story and it helped me to get an impact. I became the voice, which they gave me the title of the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa State. That is the mouthpiece of the people,” he said.

The Odi massacre, which occurred in November 1999, remains one of the most controversial military actions in Nigeria’s democratic era, with human rights groups condemning the scale of violence inflicted on the civilian population.

Full Ban on Sachet Alcohol Begins December 31, 2025 — NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed that the nationwide ban on the production and sale of sachet alcoholic beverages will take full effect from December 31, 2025.

Kenneth Azikiwe, Director of NAFDAC’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Directorate, made this known during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. He clarified that the temporary suspension of the ban, which was approved by the Ministry of Health, is only in place until the end of 2025.