Saidat Adeshina, mother of late Nigerian Afro-Fuji singer Destiny Boy, has opened up about her son’s passing, stressing that Destiny Boy’s cause of death had nothing to do with money rituals.
Speaking in a recent interview, she revealed how her son, whose real name was Afeez Adeshina, battled a serious medical condition in the final years of his life.
“He started having seizures then,” Saidat said, recalling that the Fuji star began showing health problems two years ago during preparations for the naming ceremony of his first child. Determined to find a cure, the family explored every possible avenue, both medical and traditional.
Desperate for a solution, Destiny Boy was referred to an Ifa priest, Edun Ifayomi, who the family regarded as a father figure. Saidat explained, “This happened about two years ago.
The Ifa priest was not even aware of the incident. We were the ones who later informed him that Destiny Boy was sick. He told us that nothing must happen to Destiny Boy.”
“The man was sending money to us to foot the hospital bills as we were treating him. When we noticed the sickness could not be treated, we asked Ọba Edun to allow us bring the child to him.
He then gave me a soap that I should use it to bath him which I did and we went back home. He felt fine at the time,” she added.
Saidat described the illness, called ‘Oku or,’ which caused Destiny Boy to become stiff like someone with epilepsy whenever it struck, and behave as if he had a mental disorder after recovery.
“We did not let the public know about this because he was a superstar. We took him to churches, herbalists, etc., for him to get a cure all to no avail,” she said.
Saidat recounted the final tragedy, which occurred just two weeks ago. After a trip to Ayetoro, Destiny Boy was taken to Ifayomi’s house for treatment.
“Two weeks ago, when he went to Ayetoro and was returning, they took him to Ifayomi’s house for treatment.
His father went there and called me to come, but there was no one to stay in my shop so I told them to excuse me but I was calling him on the phone and they said he was doing fine.
Five days ago, I called him but he did not pick. Three days ago, I told his sister to send a message of greetings to him. Two days ago, I was in the house when they called me that I should start coming to Ifayomi’s house because the seizure had started again.
They said nothing was wrong with him before the seizure started. Ifayomi was not home, it was when he got back that he started giving him some treatment to no avail so they decided to rush him to the hospital.
By the time I got to the hospital, they told me he had passed away. My son did not do any money ritual,” she emphasized.
Born Afeez Adeshina, Destiny Boy began his career at T2 Boys Studios in Agege, initially working as a backup dancer for Fuji musician Pasuma.
He rose to prominence in 2019 with a viral Fuji cover of Davido’s ‘If’ and released popular covers of songs by Tekno, 2Baba, and others. His original tracks, including ‘Lamba,’ ‘Gbese,’ and ‘Lowkey,’ cemented his place in the Fuji-infused music scene.
Saidat concluded, reaffirming the truth about her son’s passing: “Everything we did was for his health. Destiny Boy’s cause of death was medical, not ritual. He was our joy, and we did everything to save him.”
Destiny Boy is survived by his partner, Iremide, and their first child, born in November 2024. The family continues to mourn his untimely passing while celebrating his legacy in Nigerian music.