'I thought I was going to die': Asake fans tell of chaos outside Brixton Academy concert

Cousins Tolulope Kujimiyo and Adekemi Aladesuru tell Helen Keenan about being stuck outside the Asake concert

Asake fans who were stuck in the middle of the crowds outside his concert at the Brixton O2 Academy have told of how they thought they were going to die in the crush.

Three people are in a critical condition after a large crowd tried to force their way into the south London concert venue to see the Nigerian Afrobeats singer on Thursday evening.

Cousins Tolulope Kujimiyo and Adekemi Aladesuru told ITV News they were stuck "like sardines" in the middle of huge crowds, before Ms Kujimiyo fainted.

"There was no way to go back because everywhere was full," Ms Aladesuru explained.

"There was more than 2,000 people there and we were stuck right in the middle. So, we're thinking, 'what's the way out, what's the way out'.

Shoes and items of clothing that were lost in the crush could be seen outside Brixton Academy on Friday Credit: ITV News

"As security were pushing the crowds, the crowds were pushing back so because we were stuck in the middle there was nothing we could do.

"We were screaming 'please stop pushing' but people weren't listening. Most of the people who started climbing over the barriers didn't have tickets."

"I thought I was going to die yesterday," she said. "I didn't know if I was going to go home and see my children or not - it was really, really bad."

"Asake's a great artist but unfortunately the few people who were not patient really messed it up for a lot of people," Ms Aladesuru added.

"My cousin fainted because she couldn't breathe because of all the squashing and then people were getting stamped on. Our prerogative was just to make sure that she didn't go down, because if she did, people were going to stamp on her."

The scene outside Brixton O2 Academy on Thursday evening Credit: PA/Twitter @rofiatcc

"I still feel like I'm traumatised," Ms Kujimiyo said. "I've got body pain all over.

"I didn't even know how I got out of the concert, my cousins were telling me they literally had to drag me out because I was unconscious."

A man eventually helped them clear the route so they could carry Ms Kujimiyo away from the scene, before an off-duty doctor tended to her.

Ms Aladesuru said she overheard some concertgoers planning to try and use tickets from shows earlier in the week to gain entry by zooming in on the barcodes on their phones.

  • Watch the ITV Lunchtime News report on the incident:

Brixton O2 Academy has been approached for comment. The venue has yet to make a public statement on last night's incident and has not put any posts on its social media channels since before the concert took place.

The pair say the experience has put them off concerts for life.

"Even if they had a free VIP show in Brixton, I would never, ever go," Ms Aladesuru said.

"I love him [Asake] so much but it put me off yesterday, completely, thinking that we've come out yesterday, we've spent our money to buy tickets, we've come out to enjoy an artist and instead of enjoying that we've come home injured. It's really sad."

"I'm not going to any concerts, anymore, I'm done," Ms Kujimiyo added.

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