Chief Imam Clarifies N25 Million Ogogo Left For Grandfather's House, Not Mosque

The Chief Imam of Ilaro, Sheikh Tajudeen Adewumi, has clarified that the N25 million left in his care by late Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, was meant for the renovation of the actor's grandfather's house and not for a mosque.

Adewumi made the clarification in an interview with BBC Yoruba, addressing widespread speculation about the funds.

The cleric explained that he and Ogogo were close neighbours and had a strong relationship. He said Ogogo contacted him after returning from the hospital and transferred the money, stating that he wanted to rebuild his grandfather's house, which was in poor condition.

Adewumi noted that he documented the transaction and informed Ogogo's family members to ensure transparency.

He also confirmed that after Ogogo's passing, the family agreed to transfer the money to his elder brother's account for the project.

He said:
"I am so close to Alhaji Taiwo Hassan; our houses are in the same neighbourhood. When I got home after visiting him at the hospital, he called and said he wanted to keep money with me so he could complete his grandfather's house. He said the house was not in good condition and he wanted to rebuild a structure on it. He then transferred N25 million, with the excuse that he was likely to go to India for treatment."

"When I got the alert, I informed my son, Adam, to state it somewhere because we did not know who would die first, or in case anything happened to me. He gave me the book where he recorded it, and I signed. So, I informed his brother, Ayinde, and his daughter, Rasheedat, too, that Ogogo transferred money to me for this project. After that, it died down until he died."

"There was a rumour that the money with me was for the mosque project, which I had to clarify. On the seventh-day prayer for the deceased, I had a meeting with his family at 6pm. His daughter was even around at that time. So, I explained, and I told them, 'What should we do about it? If they want to go ahead with his grandfather's house project, then his children are mature enough to take up the role and monitor it.' I was ready to return it. So, we agreed that I transferred the money to Ogogo's elder brother's account, Brother Rilwan. So, I said one of his brothers, Ayinde, should meet me at the bank so I could send the money to their elder brother's account. Mr Rilwan will now know what to do with the money with his children. It is not for the mosque project but for his grandfather's house, which he wanted to execute personally."

Ogogo passed away on August 23 at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer.

He was buried on Monday in his hometown of Ilaro, Ogun State, following Islamic rites.