Fresh revelations have emerged following the dramatic scenes that played out at the burial of late gospel singer, Bunmi Akinnaanu, aka Omije Ojume, last week, with her estranged husband, Rotimi Adeoye, offering his version of events amid an intensifying family dispute.

In a YouTube broadcast aired on Yeye Kudi Courtroom TV, a woman played a recorded phone conversation with a man alleged to be Adeoye, in which he detailed his marriage to the late singer, the circumstances surrounding their separation, and his strained relationship with their children. The disclosure comes days after what was meant to be a solemn burial descended into public confrontation, triggering widespread debate online.

What began as an emotional service of songs reportedly escalated into chaos at the graveside, with allegations of abandonment, infidelity, brainwashing and long-running custody battles exchanged between family members and associates.

Omije and Adeoye got married in 2006, first in a court ceremony at the Surulere Magistrate Court, followed by a church wedding at ECWA Church in Mushin. Their marriage, however, reportedly broke down around 2010 and was legally dissolved between 2017 and 2018. The union was said to have been plagued by migration challenges to the United Kingdom, financial difficulties and personal disagreements, with custody of their children becoming a central point of conflict.

Adeoye, who is believed to be based abroad has since been said to have remarried. Akinaanu, on the other hand, returned to Nigeria and raised the children as a single mother until her death from an illness in late 2025, a period during which public fundraising was organised to support her medical care.

Following the burial, Adeoye broke his silence through a series of voice notes, videos and interviews circulated online. He alleged that the marriage collapsed due to infidelity and deceit, claiming he met Akinaanu in the UK around 2000–2001 and married her after securing a work visa. According to him, their first child, Jomiloju, was born in London, and he cared for her alone after Akinaanu allegedly returned to Nigeria in 2010.

Adeoye claimed that Akinaanu took their daughter to Nigeria without his consent under the guise of a short visit, shortly before the child’s UK residency documents were due. He claimed that subsequent attempts to reach his children were blocked, saying, “She blocked every access I had to reach you,” and alleging that even efforts through schools resulted in police involvement.

He denied abandoning his children, insisting that he sent financial support—sometimes amounting to thousands of pounds—and paid school fees, but was cut off from them for over eight years. Adeoye further alleged that the children were brainwashed against him and lived what he described as an “underground lifestyle” in Nigeria. He called for DNA tests and vowed to pursue custody legally, while maintaining that he still loved the children and sought reconciliation.

Speaking emotionally about his daughter, he said, “I bathed that child. We were together until she was seven.”

Adeoye also claimed that tensions escalated following the birth of their second child. He alleged that although he funded the delivery, his name was excluded from the child’s birth certificate and he was later denied access. He said the last time he saw his son was on the child’s first birthday, adding that several attempts to reunite with both children through planned visits to the UK never materialised.

According to him, repeated reconciliation efforts failed due to prolonged separations, alleged extramarital relationships and external religious influences encouraging Akinaanu to remain in Nigeria.

The controversy gained further traction after an emotional tribute delivered by Jomiloju during the service of songs went viral. In her speech, the teenage girl praised her mother as “the best woman in the world” while accusing her father of abandonment.

“Ever since my father left me, he did not care. He did not call. Imagine now he’s calling when he knows that someone has left,” she said, adding that an uncle stepped in as a father figure. She vowed to honour her mother’s wishes by pursuing a career in Gynaecology and supporting her younger brother, William.

Meanwhile, a representative of Akinaanu’s gospel music colleagues, Niyi Peter, released a video statement addressing tensions between the artistes and the singer’s family. He claimed that Akinaanu had been informed by doctors of her impending death and had requested a widely witnessed burial. According to him, gospel artistes, believing she had endured significant suffering, fixed a burial date with initial family approval and began preparations.

Peter alleged that singer, Alayo Melody, financed major burial arrangements, including the coffin, burial space, hall and over 100 branded T-shirts, but that the family later rejected the plan, involved the police and opposed the artistes’ participation. He further claimed that a woman who stayed with Akinaanu during her hospitalisation was arrested and pressured to surrender her phone.

In response, Akinaanu’s family insisted that they were not problematic and expressed shock at what they described as the haste with which burial arrangements were announced online. They stated that they ultimately organised the burial independently with pooled family resources.

Adeoye’s relatives have also defended their actions at the graveside, alleging that the children had been manipulated and that efforts at reconciliation before the burial were frustrated. Since then, family members on both sides have continued to air their positions publicly. (Saturday PUNCH)

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