Veteran Yoruba actor Adewale Adeoye, popularly known as Baba Elesho, has slammed rumours that he is battling cancer and vowed that the wound on his face will soon be gone.
Asked if the mark was cancer, the 67-year-old actor mocked the claim.
“It’s not cancer, it’s padlock.”
He went further.
“Can someone with cancer be walking around like I am? I reject it. It’s a minor thing. When it started, I was taking it to pharmacies to get something to use, but now I’m getting proper treatment. You won’t see it there next week by God’s grace.”
Elesho, the immediate past president of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP), said he has remained active and rejected the online diagnosis pushed after videos and photos of a visible wound on his face began to circulate. Some users, without medical evidence, suggested it could be skin cancer after he was seen at events linked to the late Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo.
ANTP later confirmed that he underwent surgery and is recuperating. National Publicity Secretary Oluwafemi Adejonwo, also known as Femson, said:
“We give all glory to God for the successful completion of his operation. We hereby confirm that the operation was successful. He is stable and recuperating well. We sincerely appreciate everyone who called, prayed, and showed concern.”
In a follow-up, he added:
“By God’s grace, his operation was successful. He is doing well and recovering. Thank you all for the calls, prayers and concern. Continue to pray for his speedy recovery.”
The association did not name the condition that led to the procedure and did not confirm any cancer diagnosis.
Fans quickly seized on Elesho’s “padlock” line as both comic relief and a firm shutdown of the gossip. The joke spread as supporters celebrated that the veteran comic was still sharp enough to clap back while asking rumour mill accounts to stay in their lane.
The scare had earlier split Nollywood watchers. Some fans who spotted the growth urged him to see a doctor, with a few comparing it to a smaller mark they remembered from a film set. Others warned against turning a colleague’s face into public diagnosis. Elesho’s own words have now clarified that it is a minor issue, he is receiving proper treatment, and he rejects the cancer talk.