Nigerian Afrobeats star Asake has mourned a Kenyan fan who died following a crush at his concert at a stadium in Nairobi.
The victim, 20-year-old Karen Lojore, was reportedly amid the long queues near a gate into the Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday. Delays in getting in were worsened by heavy rain, with other fans being injured.
Family and friends of Ms Lojore have called for a full investigation and justice for her, with Kenyans on social media expressing their sympathies.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Monday, Asake said he was “devastated by the tragic incident”. Kenyan police spokesman Michael Muchiri has termed the crush a “very unfortunate” incident.
He told the BBC that the situation had been very serious but the police had worked to contain the crowds avert more deaths.
He said “it looked like crowd control at the venue was not very ok” but said investigations would reveal what actually went wrong and help to avoid such tragedy in future.
He said such an investigation would normally be concluded in a matter of weeks.
In his statement, Asake said “my heart goes out to the family, friends and loved ones of Karen Lojore”, pledging to support efforts to “understand what happened”.
He said music was always his “way of sharing love and joy” and “it breaks my heart that anyone had to experience such loss”.
“Those responsible should be held accountable,” he added.
In a social media post tagging the concert organisers as well as Asake, a woman believed to be Ms Lojore’s mother wrote: “What happened to my child? Why her? I want justice for my child.”
The organisers of the event, Tukutane Entertainment, said they were working with the authorities to “understand what happened”.
A journalist with Kenyan broadcaster Citizen TV, Immanuel Ndungu, who attended the concert, spoke on Instagram about problems with the stadium entrance, crowd control and how people were allowed in.
Tukutane Entertainment has organised several big concerts in recent years, including shows by African music stars Tems, Rema, and Sauti Sol.
The Nairobi stadium crush mirrors a show that Asake headlined at London’s Brixton Academy in 2022, which killed at least two people and seriously injured others.
Asake, whose real name is Ahmed Ololade, is one of Nigeria’s leading Afrobeat stars who burst into the scene in 2022, with his debut album Mr. Money With the Vibe.
He earned a nomination for the BBC Radio 1 Sound of 2023 Award, being hailed “as one of Nigeria’s hottest breakout stars”.
He has since had other accolades and awards, including two Grammy nominations.
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