The Chief Imam of Ilaro, Tajudeen Adewunmi, has explained why he returned N25 million that late Yoruba screen legend Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, placed in his care before he died. The cleric said the money was for the actor’s grandfather’s house, not a mosque, as rumours later claimed.
Adewunmi spoke in a BBC Yoruba interview shared on Monday, September 7, 2026. He said he and Ogogo were close neighbours. After visiting the actor in hospital, he got a call. Ogogo asked him to hold funds so he could rebuild his grandfather’s house, which was in poor shape, and then transferred N25 million. He mentioned he might travel to India for treatment.
“I am so close to Alhaji Taiwo Hassan; our houses are in the same neighborhood. 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 ₦25 million, with the excuse that he was likely to go to India for treatment,” the Imam said.
He said he logged the transfer at once.
“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 Ogogo’s death, talk spread that the cash was for a mosque. Adewunmi said that was false. At the seventh-day prayer he met the family at 6pm, with the actor’s daughter present, and asked what they wanted done. He offered to return the money and said the children were old enough to supervise the house work if they wished to continue it.
“There was a rumour that the money with me was for the mosque project, which I had to clarify,” he said.
The family agreed he should send the funds to Ogogo’s elder brother, Rilwan. Adewunmi asked Ayinde to meet him at the bank so the transfer could go into Rilwan’s account. He said Ogogo’s two wives and children backed that decision.
“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 died on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 66 after a battle with cancer. He was buried the next day in Ilaro under Islamic rites.