Nigerian singer Timaya, has opened up about the harrowing impact of the 1999 Odi massacre on his family, sharing how the tragedy left deep emotional and personal scars.
In a heartfelt conversation on Afrobeats Intelligence with Joey Akan, the “Dem Mama” crooner reflected on the devastating military assault on Odi, a town in Bayelsa State, which left over 900 civilians dead and the community in ruins. Though born and raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Timaya’s roots are deeply tied to Bayelsa—especially the town of Odi.
“My parents are Bayelsans,” he said. “My mother had a bakery in Odi. She was supplying the whole village. We lost the bakery and so much more when the military came.”
The Odi massacre, carried out by Nigerian armed forces in November 1999 during the Niger Delta crisis, was ostensibly a response to the killing of 12 policemen. But critics and human rights groups widely condemned it as a disproportionate show of force, aimed at suppressing dissent over oil exploitation, environmental degradation, and indigenous rights.
For Timaya, the tragedy wasn’t just a headline—it was his family’s reality.
“It is very touching because we lost lives, lost a lot of things. You know, when the government says ‘go shoot these people down’… it’s painful,” he said.
The pain and anger from that period became the creative fuel behind Timaya’s 2007 breakout hit Dem Mama, a searing account of the invasion that launched his career—and his voice—into the national spotlight.
“I sang about it—that is the most I can do,” Timaya explained. “I told the story of how they sent the military to burn down the village. Narrating my story helped me make an impact. I became the voice.”
That voice resonated far and wide, eventually earning him the honorary title of Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa, meaning “mouthpiece of the people.”
