Family, Islamic Clerics Bicker As Nollywood Star, Baba Suwe, Finally Goes Home In Lagos

BY CHINYERE OBIORA, LAGOS – Amid mild bickering by family members and some Islamic Clerics over his funeral rites, veteran Nollywood comic actor, Babatunde Omidina, popularly called Baba Suwe has finally been laid to rest at his residence in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State

He was committed to mother earth around 11:05 am on Thursday, November 25, 2021, with family members, friends, well-wishers, and many sympathisers unable to hold back tears when they arrived at the deceased’s residence to condole with his family.

Aged 63, the actor died on Monday after prolonged sickness. He was interred inside his compound beside his late wife, Moladun.

Among the theatre practitioners at the burial were the President of Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Producers Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Bolaji Amusan, also known as Mr Latin; Yinka Quadri; Jide Kosoko; Femi Adebayo; Adebayo Salami; and Fausat Balogun, aka Madam Saje.

It was also quite a touching scene as colleagues and family members shed tears when two fans, costumed like Baba Suwe, tried mimicking his character at the burial.

However, a mild drama had played out earlier, when the body arrived at the house in a white coffin, with a woman, who claimed to be his first wife and identified herself as Ayodele, aka Suwe, said the late Nollywood star would be buried in the coffin despite being a Muslim.

Also, she explained that the burial was delayed till Thursday because the deceased was a celebrity who rightly deserved to be honoured by family friends, colleagues, and well-wishers before being committed to mother earth.

“Baba Suwe is a popular person and we cannot just bury him like that and that was why his burial was delayed and also, some of his children were not around. Also, his colleagues wanted to do a praise night for him, which was done yesterday (Wednesday).

“He will be buried in the coffin. That’s how the children want it; you know the practice of everybody is different. The children want it like that, the family and his colleagues also want it like that”, the woman had said.

However, when the Islamic clerics arrived, they insisted that the deceased would not be buried in the coffin but was only placed in it to show that no organ was removed from his body and for people to pay their last respect to him.

The Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahamad Alfulanny, who expressed his dissatisfaction with the family, noted that the delay of the burial was against Islamic rites.

According to him; “There are so many things that the family is doing that did not follow the Islamic way, like the way they put his body in a casket is not an Islamic way. Though Baba Suwe was a celebrity when he was alive, that does not give room for unnecessary things.

“Some people even said they want to take his body around, but the family has told us he would not be buried with the casket.”

Meanwhile, the President of Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Producers Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Bolaji Amusan has cleared the air on insinuations that the association abandoned Baba Suwe in his hour of need.

Debunking the claims as misleading, Amusan told some reporters at the burial site; “I was here when he (Baba Suwe) was sick and I took him to LUTH; he was there for 26 days without paying a penny before he travelled.

“We paid his hospital bills in 2017 and 2019; individually, we tried as much as possible to do what was expected of us, but we cannot be doing something for our members and start broadcasting it.”

“Baba Suwe was dear to us; he was an enigma, a theatre practitioner, a friend, and colleague. Individually, we tried our best, as an association, we tried our best, but unfortunately, we lost him”, the TAMPAN President lamented