The family of late Nigerian gospel singer Toluwanisings has threatened to exhume his remains if the singer is buried in a cemetery rather than at the family’s ancestral home in Oyo State.
The dispute over the singer’s final resting place emerged after a representative of the family, in a video circulating on social media, disclosed that relatives had agreed that he should be brought home for burial beside his late mother.
The representative maintained that the family would not accept any alternative arrangement, stressing that the decision reflected the collective position of its members.
“We have all decided in the family that Toluwanisings must not be buried in the cemetery. For this reason, they should bring him back home,” the representative said.
He further warned that the family was prepared to take action if the singer was buried in a cemetery against its wishes.
“If you people decide to bury him in the cemetery, we will remove him from there. I am speaking on behalf of all the family members,” he said.
Family insists on ancestral burial
According to the representative, the family wants the singer laid to rest beside his mother’s grave at their father’s compound in Oyo State.
He dismissed concerns about burying the singer at the house he built, insisting that the family’s priority was to have his remains returned to their ancestral home.
“If you say you can’t bury him in his house that he built, we don’t know your reasons and we don’t even care to know, just bring him home,” he said.
The statement highlights the disagreement over where the late singer should be buried, with the family making it clear that a cemetery burial would be unacceptable to them.
However, the circumstances surrounding the disagreement and the position of other parties involved in the burial arrangements were not established in the circulating video.
Reactions trail burial controversy
The family representative’s remarks have generated reactions on social media, with users expressing differing views on the dispute.
Some commentators supported the family’s position, arguing that relatives should have a say in determining the final resting place of a deceased family member, particularly where ancestral burial traditions are involved.
Others expressed concern over the threat to exhume the singer’s remains, urging the parties involved to resolve their differences peacefully and ensure that the deceased is treated with dignity.
The controversy has drawn attention to the sensitive nature of burial arrangements, particularly when family expectations, personal property and differing preferences intersect.
As discussions continue, the focus remains on resolving the disagreement over Toluwanisings’ final resting place and reaching an arrangement that respects the deceased and the concerns of those involved.