Niniola Apata, the Afrohouse singer, has opened up about the trauma of witnessing the assassination of Simeon Apata, her father, saying she will never get over it.
The incident occurred on January 8, 1995, in Lagos, when gunmen murdered the retired brigadier-general of the Nigerian army in his own home.
In a recent interview with Jay On Air, Niniola revisited the haunting memory. She revealed that the psychological scars are deepened by the fact that she was her late father’s favourite child, making the loss even more personal and devastating.
I was in the house when my dad was murdered. And I was his favourite child, so you can imagine the trauma. Till today, I’m not over it. I can never get over it, she said.
I was very young when it happened. I don’t remember my exact age then, but it wasn’t a good memory.
In 2023, Teni Apata, Niniola’s sister, also revealed that watching her dad being assassinated at the age of two left her traumatised.
My father passed away when I was at such a young age. The trauma of losing my father at that age and him being assassinated in the presence of all of us, said Teni, who is also a singer.
I was two years old when this happened. I come from war, and his passing away when I was a child robbed me of having that father figure.
