The controversy surrounding the death of popular Nigerian comedian and broadcaster, Gbenga Adeboye, has resurfaced 23 years after his demise, following a recent interview granted by his widow, Omolara, on the Kasnaty Show, hosted by broadcaster and media personality, Kolawole Adejojo, on YouTube.
In the interview, Omolara spoke about her experiences following her husband’s death, alleging that members of his family abandoned her and that some of his relatives interfered with his property.
She also dismissed rumours that she had remarried after his death, insisting that she remained unmarried.
“When my husband died, I could not mourn him. I was depressed, I was sad,” the widow lamented.
Omolara alleged that her late husband’s brother, Femi Adeboye, took documents relating to a house Gbenga built.
She also claimed that Femi initially promised to return the documents but later told her he had handed them over to the head of the family.
Omolara said, “Femi used to visit us every morning when we were still at Olowura. After we relocated, they said they wanted to pack his belongings. That was when he took the documents. When I asked him about them, he kept saying he would bring them, but it later resulted in a big fight. He eventually told me he had given them to the head of their family.”
The widow also recounted being told that Femi travelled to Ibadan to consult a herbalist and obtain charms against her.
“The charm was in three parts. The first one was to conquer me; secondly, no man should look my way again; and lastly, nobody would look my way, ‘she revealed
Omolara, who said she had remained silent for years because she believed silence was golden, also presented several letters allegedly written by her late husband and his siblings during the interview.
However, her comments reignited longstanding disagreements between her and her late husband’s relatives.
Two of Adeboye’s sisters, Seun and Sayo, challenged her claims, insisting that some of the issues she raised did not reflect what happened.
They presented their accounts of the disputes before and after their brother’s death.
Speaking on Baba Olomi TV on YouTube, Seun described her brother as a caring person, recalling how he once looked after her when she was ill.
She said, “I remember when I was sick, I slept in his room. He was the one who used clothes to cover me.”
Seun also dismissed allegations that Gbenga was involved in fetish practices or belonged to the Ogboni fraternity, insisting that he was a prayerful man.
“Some people tried to influence him to join a confraternity group, but my brother rejected it,” she added.
Seun further alleged that some valuable belongings were removed from her brother’s house while family members were at the hospital, claiming that Omolara had a spare key to the property.
Her sister, Sayo, made further allegations, accusing Omolara of mistreating Gbenga during his final days.
She claimed that Omolara brought an Islamic cleric from Ibadan, who allegedly performed a ritual involving a hen, a heated knife and a black substance.
Sayo said, “I was at my brother’s house one day, an Alfa came, put a knife inside fire to kill a hen, collected the blood into a calabash, mixed it with a black substance, gave it to Omolara, and she drank it.”
She also questioned the authenticity of the letters Omolara presented during the interview, arguing that they looked unusually new despite supposedly being several years old.
“Look at the letters. They still look neat after so many years, and the ink has not faded. How is that possible,” Sayo added.
She further accused Omolara of disregarding medical advice while Gbenga was hospitalised. According to her, family members had been cautioned against eating in front of him because of a surgery he had undergone. However, she alleged that Omolara once offered him tea.
“There was a day she gave him tea. I was not there, but the nurse told me. When I confronted her, she said he was hungry and had requested tea,” Sayo added.
One of the most contentious allegations raised by Sayo concerned the paternity of Omolara’s three children. She claimed that Gbenga told their elder brother, Femi, while on his sickbed, that Igwe was his only biological son.
“Brother Gbenga told Bro Femi that Igwe was his only son, but my brother did not come out openly to say it,” she said.
Sayo said the family was demanding DNA tests to establish the paternity of the children, challenging Omolara to submit to the tests.
She also disputed Omolara’s account of the handling of Gbenga’s estate, insisting that Femi did not have any of their late brother’s properties in his custody.
The sisters said they had not planned to discuss the family disagreements publicly but decided to respond to what they described as false claims about their brother and the family.
“Lara, go and repent. Jesus is coming soon. We need DNA tests; we need to know the real biological child,” Sayo said.
Responding to the allegations that she neglected her husband during his illness, Omolara said she was not informed when he was transferred from one hospital to another.
“I was the one who called Festus because my husband refused to go to the hospital. That day, I was taking my children to school, and I was unable to wait for him.
“That day, Festus came to take him to the hospital. I went to check on him; I even bathed him. On getting there the following day, I was told he had already been transferred to another hospital without my consent.”
Omolara’s son, Igwe Adeboye, who also featured in the interview, spoke about the emotional toll of his father’s death on the family, particularly his mother.
He recalled that her grief sometimes overwhelmed her to the extent that she forgot to arrange for him and his siblings to be picked up from school.
Igwe also dismissed rumours that his mother remarried and relocated to the United States, saying she had been in Nigeria mourning her husband.
He said, “My mum was depressed after our dad’s death. She sometimes forgot our closing time and to send a driver to pick us up from school. My mum did not relocate; she was here mourning my dad.”
Gbenga Adeboye, popularly known as Funwontan, was a comedian, broadcaster, musician, songwriter and master of ceremonies whose distinctive Yoruba humour and storytelling made him a household name.
Born on September 30, 1959, in Ode-Omu, Osun State, he gained prominence through his programmes on Radio Lagos and the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation.
His distinctive style earned him several nicknames, including Alhaji Pastor Oluwo and Abefe.
He died on April 30, 2003, aged 43, after an illness reportedly linked to kidney disease.
(Punch)
