YINKA QUADRI, COLLEAGUES MOURN AS OGOGO IS LAID TO REST
Tears and grief enveloped Ilaro, Ogun State, on Monday, as the remains of veteran Nollywood actor, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, were laid to rest.
Family members, friends, colleagues and sympathisers gathered in the actor’s hometown to bid a final farewell to the 66-year-old screen icon.
Videos from the funeral procession showed mourners carrying Ogogo’s remains to the burial ground, where the final Islamic rites were observed.
One of the most emotional moments came when Ogogo’s longtime friend and colleague, Yinka Quadri, broke down in tears. He was seen crying uncontrollably as mourners tried to console him.
The scene underscored the depth of grief among Ogogo’s colleagues and loved ones, who had gathered to honour the veteran actor.
Several prominent Nollywood figures, including Jide Kosoko, Faithia Balogun, Femi Adebayo, Mr Latin and Toyosi Adesanya, had earlier arrived in Ilaro for the burial.
Also present were Ireti Osayemi, Bisi Omo Logbalogba and other actors, family members and well-wishers.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the burial, actor Bola Oyin-Adejobi paid tribute to Ogogo and prayed for the deceased to attain Al-Jannah Firdaus.
The burial followed Ogogo’s death on Sunday. According to an announcement by veteran actor Jide Kosoko on Instagram, the 66-year-old died at about 3 p.m.
Kosoko had earlier announced that Ogogo’s remains would be taken to Ilaro, where a lying-in-state ceremony would be held before his burial.
The Ilaro Muslim Community also announced the burial prayer for the veteran actor.
Ogogo’s death came days after his daughters, Kaira and Lima Taiwo, appealed for financial and medical support for their father, who had been battling stage-four cancer.
Kaira disclosed that doctors had informed the family that chemotherapy could no longer be administered because of his condition, forcing the family to explore alternative treatment options.
For more than four decades, Ogogo remained a major force in the Nigerian film industry, particularly in Yoruba-language cinema.
He featured in hundreds of films and earned a reputation as one of the most recognisable and influential figures in Yoruba Nollywood.
His death marks the end of an era for many of his colleagues and admirers, who gathered in Ilaro to honour a man whose performances left an enduring mark on Nigerian cinema.
