The Chief Imam said he had documented the transaction and informed members of the actor’s family before the actor’s death.
The Chief Imam of Ilaro, Ogun State, Tajudeen Adewunmi, has revealed why veteran actor and screenwriter Taiwo “Ogogo” Hassan entrusted him with ₦25 million before his death.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Ogogo died on 23 August after battling stage-four cancer.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, posted on Facebook on Tuesday, the cleric said the actor entrusted the money to him while considering travelling to India for further treatment.
Mr Adewunmi, who described himself as Ogogo’s childhood friend and neighbour, also recounted their final encounters before the actor’s death.
“Ogogo and I were so close; his house was the fourth one from mine. We had been together since childhood,” he said.
Mr Adewunmi said he visited Ogogo twice while the actor was receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and also visited him at St Nicholas Hospital in Lagos.
He said his final visit left him worried because Ogogo’s condition had deteriorated.
“I came back home with sorrow because I didn’t know what could happen. We parted with tears during that last visit. He wanted to eat, and I carried the plate for him, and he ate.
“He couldn’t say much because I saw that things had gotten worse, and he knew it as well. When I was leaving, I prayed for him, and he stretched forth his hands. After that, we didn’t talk again.”
Mr Adewunmi said that after he returned home, Ogogo called him and told him he wanted to entrust some money to him for the rebuilding of 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 ₦25 million, explaining that he was likely to travel to India for treatment,” he said.
The Chief Imam said he immediately documented the transaction because he could not tell what might happen to either of them.
He said he called his son, Adam, explained that the money belonged to Ogogo and asked him to make a written record of the transaction, which he signed.
“I told my son, ‘This money is for Alhaji Ogogo’, and he wrote it down, and I signed. I told him that if anything happened to me, the money should be returned to him.
“After that, I called Ogogo’s junior brother, Ayinde, and told him his brother had kept this amount of money in my care. I also called his first daughter, Rasheedat, and informed her, and we kept it quiet.”
Mr Adewunmi said that after Ogogo died, claims began circulating that the ₦25 million had been intended for a mosque project.
He rejected the claim, saying the actor had been explicit about what he intended to do with the money.
“When he died, people were saying the money was for the mosque, and I said, ‘No, it’s not for the mosque, it’s for the rebuilding of his grandfather’s house.’”
Mr Adewunmi said that seven days after Ogogo’s burial, he summoned the actor’s children, wives, and other family members and informed them about the money.
According to him, he told them that since Ogogo was no longer alive to carry out the project himself, they were old enough to decide whether to proceed with it or use the money for something else. The actor might have discussed this with them.
“I said if it was for the house he wanted to build, they were old enough to build it themselves; if it was for something else he had discussed with them, that was up to them.”
The cleric said Ogogo’s two wives and children agreed that the money should be transferred to the account of the actor’s elder brother, Rilwan.
“They all agreed that we should put the money into his elder brother’s account, whose name is 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 Adewunmi said he met Ayinde at the bank the following day and transferred the ₦25 million to Rilwan.
“Rilwan will now know what to do with the money together with his children. There’s no issue with the fact that I returned the money, but people thought it was for the mosque project — no, it was for his grandfather’s house, which he wanted to execute personally,” he said.
The Chief Imam described Ogogo as a rare figure whose death had left a void in Ilaro and the Muslim community in Ogun State.
“We have lost Ogogo, and it will take a while before we see anybody who can replace him. For now, we don’t have a perfect substitute.”
