DAVIDO’S AIDE OFFERS CASH REWARD AFTER PHONE ALLEGEDLY STOLEN AT ZLATAN IBILE’S WEDDING

Davido’s aide, Damilare Aladegbola, popularly known as Dre, has publicly appealed for the return of his mobile phone after claiming it was stolen during rapper Zlatan Ibile and Davita Lamai’s traditional wedding in Lagos, offering to pay the person who took it if the device is returned. Dre made the unusual appeal through his Instagram account on Monday, October 26, two days after the high-profile ceremony brought together some of Nigeria’s biggest entertainment personalities in Oniru, Lagos, and generated widespread attention across social media for its celebrity guest list, fashion and elaborate cultural displays.

Rather than immediately threatening police action or publicly accusing a specific individual, Dre adopted a pleading tone and offered what amounted to a cash incentive for the return of the device. Writing in Nigerian Pidgin, he said the person who allegedly took the phone should bring it back and promised that he would give them money in exchange. His decision to appeal directly to whoever may have possession of the device suggests that recovering the phone itself, and potentially the personal information stored on it, is his immediate priority.

Dre did not publicly identify the make or model of the missing phone in the initial posts cited by Nigerian media, nor did he provide a detailed account of the precise moment it disappeared. He also did not name any suspect, and there is currently no independently verified evidence establishing who took the device or whether it was deliberately stolen rather than misplaced. For that reason, VNTV is treating the incident as an alleged theft based on Dre’s account and not as a proven accusation against any individual or member of staff at the wedding.

The aide later expanded on his frustration by suggesting that the phone may have disappeared while he was seated at a table during the reception. In another Instagram post, he complained about waiters approaching guests to ask whether they had finished eating so plates could be cleared, saying he would now become suspicious whenever a server tried to remove a plate from his table at future events. His comments implied that he believes clearing plates could potentially provide an opportunity for valuables left on tables to disappear, although he did not provide evidence connecting any specific waiter to the missing phone.

That distinction is important because Dre’s second post could easily be interpreted online as an accusation against catering staff generally, even though no individual has been identified and no public investigation has established that a waiter was responsible. Large celebrity weddings involve numerous guests, vendors, security personnel, entertainers, photographers, servers and event workers moving through crowded spaces, making it difficult to determine exactly when or how a personal item went missing without surveillance footage or witness accounts.

The incident occurred during one of Nigeria’s most discussed celebrity weddings of the year. Zlatan Ibile, whose real name is Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, and his longtime partner Davita Lamai held their traditional wedding in Oniru on Saturday, October 24, after weeks of anticipation following the release of a pre-wedding video announcing the date. The ceremony brought together elements of Edo and Yoruba culture and attracted a large number of entertainment figures, including Davido, Fuji legend K1 De Ultimate and social-media personality Enioluwa Adeoluwa.

Davido was particularly visible at the event because of his close relationship with Zlatan. He was among the rapper’s groomsmen and appeared in coordinated traditional attire alongside other members of the wedding party. Images and videos from the ceremony showed Davido arriving at the venue and participating actively in celebrations, reinforcing the close friendship between the two artists and explaining why members of Davido’s entourage, including Dre, were present at the event.

The traditional wedding itself became a major entertainment story before Dre’s phone complaint emerged. Zlatan and Davita appeared in multiple coordinated outfits representing different cultural traditions, including Edo-inspired clothing with coral beads and later Yoruba-inspired ensembles. The celebration was widely shared online under the wedding theme #DTTheUnion, with entertainment platforms focusing on the couple’s fashion, family moments and the presence of several well-known Nigerian musicians and actors.

The couple had formally announced October 24 as their wedding celebration date earlier in the month through a family-centered social-media video featuring one of their children. In the announcement, the child spoke about love, family and the relationship between his parents, helping turn the wedding into one of the most anticipated celebrity ceremonies of October. Reports also indicated that Zlatan and Davita had previously held a private civil ceremony earlier in the year, although the October event represented the larger public traditional celebration involving friends, family and industry colleagues.

For Dre, however, the celebration ended with a very different kind of social-media attention. His appeal quickly circulated across Nigerian entertainment pages because of the unusual combination of humor, frustration and desperation in his posts. Offering money to the person suspected of taking the phone effectively removed the possibility of confrontation from the initial appeal and instead emphasized how badly he wanted the device back.

The importance of a missing phone can extend far beyond the cost of replacing the hardware, particularly for someone working closely with a major celebrity. Mobile devices often contain private communications, business contacts, photographs, authentication codes, banking applications, social-media accounts and other sensitive information. Although Dre did not say what data was stored on the missing device, the potential security implications of losing a phone can explain why someone might be willing to pay for its return rather than simply purchase another one.

There is no indication at this stage that any private information from Dre’s device has been leaked or used improperly. No screenshots, messages or personal files connected to the alleged theft had been publicly verified when VNTV reviewed the available reporting. The absence of such material is important because social media can quickly turn a missing celebrity-associated phone into speculation about private conversations or unreleased content even when there is no evidence that the device has been accessed.

Dre’s complaint also taps into a familiar concern at large social events, where guests frequently place phones, handbags and other valuables on tables while eating, dancing or taking photographs. In crowded venues, items can be accidentally moved by friends or staff, picked up by someone who assumes they belong to another guest or deliberately taken. Without evidence showing what happened in this particular case, all of those possibilities remain open.

His remarks about waiters therefore appear to reflect his own suspicion rather than an established finding. VNTV has found no public statement from the wedding organizers, catering company, security team or venue confirming that a member of staff was involved. There is also no verified report that police have arrested or questioned anyone in connection with the missing phone.

That means the central confirmed fact remains Dre’s own public appeal. He says his phone disappeared at the wedding, he believes someone took it and he is willing to offer money to have it returned. Everything beyond that, including who may have taken the phone and how it disappeared, remains unconfirmed.

The story also demonstrates how quickly relatively small incidents involving celebrity entourages can become entertainment news in the social-media era. Dre is not primarily known as a recording artist or actor, but his close association with Davido gives his public posts immediate visibility. A complaint that might otherwise remain a private matter can therefore become widely discussed once entertainment pages begin reposting it.

That amplification can be both helpful and problematic. On one hand, widespread sharing increases the chances that someone who knows where the phone is might see the appeal and return it. On the other hand, it can encourage unsupported accusations against event staff, guests or other people who happened to be present.

Responsible reporting therefore requires maintaining the distinction between Dre’s suspicions and confirmed evidence. His comments about servers clearing plates should be reported as his own interpretation of how phones could disappear from tables, not as proof that waiters stole his device.

The celebrity setting has also added an ironic dimension to the story because Zlatan’s wedding was otherwise being celebrated for its glamour and high-profile attendance. Davido, Asake and several other entertainment figures were photographed at the event, while fashion coverage focused on elaborate outfits and coordinated cultural looks. Against that backdrop, Dre’s missing-phone appeal created a very different post-wedding narrative.

The event itself remained notable for the couple’s long relationship and family history. Zlatan and Davita have two children and have kept significant portions of their personal lives relatively private despite the rapper’s fame. Their October wedding celebration followed months of speculation about their marital status, especially after reports earlier in the year that they had held a quiet civil ceremony.

The October 24 event effectively brought that speculation to an end by placing the couple’s union publicly at the center of the entertainment industry. Their pre-wedding content emphasized family and long-term commitment, while the traditional ceremony celebrated both of their cultural backgrounds and attracted extensive media attention.

Davita previously revealed that Zlatan had been too shy to ask directly for her phone number when they first met and instead asked someone else to obtain it, a detail that resurfaced in wedding coverage because it contrasted with the confident stage personality associated with the rapper. That story helped humanize the couple’s relationship and became part of the broader narrative surrounding their wedding documentary and public celebration.

The couple’s ceremony also reinforced Zlatan’s connections within Nigeria’s music industry. Davido’s participation as a groomsman demonstrated the friendship between the two artists, while the presence of K1 De Ultimate connected contemporary street-pop culture with an older generation of Nigerian music. The mixture of music stars, influencers and Nollywood figures turned the wedding into a major social event rather than a purely private ceremony.

Dre’s complaint emerged after that celebration had already dominated entertainment pages for much of the weekend. By Monday, attention had shifted from the couple’s clothing and celebrity guests to the aide’s appeal, illustrating how quickly the news cycle around major entertainment events can move.

His humorous phrasing also contributed to the story’s spread. Rather than issuing a formal statement, Dre communicated in conversational Pidgin familiar to his social-media audience. The tone made the message feel immediate and personal, particularly his offer to pay whoever returned the phone.

The second post, in which he threatened to react angrily to future waiters asking whether they could clear his plate, added a comic element despite his obvious frustration. Social-media users frequently respond strongly to such informal celebrity posts because they are easily quoted, converted into memes and redistributed across entertainment platforms.

Beneath the humor, however, losing a phone can create serious practical problems. Modern smartphones function as wallets, business devices, communication hubs and identity-verification tools. Someone who loses one may need to change passwords, deactivate SIM cards, freeze financial applications and secure cloud accounts even before determining whether the phone will be recovered.

There is no public indication of whether Dre has taken those steps, and it would be inappropriate to speculate about his security arrangements. His public strategy so far has focused entirely on recovering the device through an appeal.

The lack of a verified recovery update is also important. Entertainment reports published Monday describe his plea but do not say that the phone has been returned. Unless Dre or someone in his team subsequently confirms recovery, reports should avoid implying that the cash offer succeeded.

Similarly, there is no publicly confirmed amount attached to the reward. Dre said he would give money to whoever returned the phone but did not state a specific sum in the posts reported by PUNCH. Headlines describing a “cash reward” are therefore accurate, but assigning an amount would be unsupported.

The incident may ultimately be resolved privately. Someone could return the device without public identification, security personnel could locate it among lost property or Dre could eventually conclude that recovery is unlikely. Any of those outcomes would require a fresh confirmed update before being reported as fact.

For now, his unusual offer has added another viral moment to an already heavily discussed wedding weekend. What began as a celebration of Zlatan and Davita’s relationship has produced an unexpected side story involving Davido’s entourage and the risks of leaving valuables unattended at crowded celebrity events.

The episode may also prompt organizers of similarly large entertainment gatherings to reconsider how personal belongings are protected during receptions. High-profile weddings often involve hundreds of guests moving between tables, dance floors, changing areas and performance spaces, making security focused not only on access control but also on theft prevention increasingly important.

Guests themselves may also take the incident as a reminder to keep phones and other valuables physically secure, especially during moments when attention is diverted by dancing, photographs or food service. That broader lesson does not establish what happened to Dre’s phone, but it explains why his complaint has resonated with many people who have experienced similar losses at crowded events.

Dre’s frustration with service staff could also generate unfair suspicion if repeated without context. Catering teams often clear tables as a routine part of event management, and there is no evidence that this ordinary practice is inherently connected to theft. Any investigation into the missing phone would need evidence relating to specific individuals rather than assumptions based on occupation.

That caution is especially necessary because workers at high-profile events may have little ability to respond publicly when celebrity guests make allegations online. The difference in social-media reach can create reputational consequences before facts are established.

The safest characterization of the incident is therefore straightforward: Davido’s aide says his phone went missing at Zlatan Ibile and Davita Lamai’s wedding, believes it was taken and has offered money for its return. He also expressed suspicion about how items can disappear from tables while plates are being cleared, but he has not identified or proved the involvement of any particular person.

As of the latest available reporting, there has been no confirmed arrest, no publicly identified suspect and no verified announcement that the phone has been recovered. The appeal remains active unless Dre provides a subsequent update.

For Zlatan and Davita, the incident is a peripheral development rather than evidence of any problem involving the wedding itself. The ceremony was successfully held on October 24, attracted a large number of prominent guests and dominated Nigerian entertainment coverage for its celebration of the couple and their family.

For Dre, the priority appears far simpler: getting his phone back. By publicly telling the person he believes took it that he is willing to pay for its return, he has turned what might have remained a private loss into a nationwide social-media appeal.

Whether that strategy succeeds remains unknown, but it has already ensured that anyone connected to the event who may know what happened is likely to be aware that the device is being sought. Until a recovery or suspect is confirmed, however, the story remains one of an alleged theft, a cash offer and an increasingly frustrated celebrity aide hoping that public attention will help bring his missing phone home.