Musician Teni recalls father’s assassination at age 2

Popular Nigerian singer, Teniola Apata MON better known as Teni, has revealed that the trauma of watching her father being assassinated when she was two years old has affected her life.

Teni’s father, Simeon Apata, a retired Nigerian army Brigadier-General, was assassinated by gunmen on January 8, 1995, in Lagos.

In a recent interview with Temisan Emmanuel Ahwieh, aka Taymesan, on the Tea With Tay podcast, Teni said, “My father was a disciplinarian. He was a soldier and he owned a school; Apata Memorial High School. He was also a big philanthropist.”

She continued, “Growing up with my father passing at such a young age, the trauma of losing my father at a young age affected me. You know, him being assassinated in the presence of all of us and all that stuff. I was 2 at the time.”

Teni said her father’s assassination robbed her of having a father figure and gave her trust issues.

“They [gunmen] came into our house purposely to kill him,” she said.

Despite the trauma, Teni said her father would always remain her hero.