A Nigerian businessman based in South Africa, Bayo Salami, has alleged that his family detained him at an Islamic cleric’s residence under the guise of offering prayers after he returned to Nigeria to claim property he had been funding for years.
In a viral video that surfaced online on Sunday, Salami, visibly distressed, recounted how he was locked up and mistreated after trusting his family’s intentions.
Salami, who resides in Cape Town, owns Kuvuki Empire, a promotions company that has worked with several top Nigerian artists, including Davido, Wizkid, Banky W, and M.I. “I’ve been in South Africa, Cape Town, for years.
My name is Bayo Salami, and I run Kuvuki Empire. I’ve organized major shows for Nigerian artists,” he stated.
He explained that after 23 years abroad, he decided to return to Nigeria to check on properties he had been investing in.
However, his family told him the properties were still under development. Without making a fuss, he informed them of his plan to return to South Africa. Instead, they convinced him to visit an Islamic cleric (Alfa) for prayers, claiming it would bring him divine blessings.
Trusting them, he agreed. But upon arrival, he was forced into a room and locked inside, discovering that other individuals had been held there for months under harsh conditions.
“I saw people who had been there for six months to a year. The living conditions were terrible,” he recounted.
Salami said his family brought him food occasionally, but a hierarchy among detainees controlled its distribution.
“When they brought food for me, others took it from me. Even when my sister brought a mat, I had to hand it over to the ‘leader’ of the house. If I was given money, the same rule applied. You couldn’t argue,” he explained.
According to him, his family justified his detention by claiming he smoked cigarettes.
Expressing his disbelief, he stated, “I’ve been to Dubai, where alcohol is restricted, but smoking isn’t banned. Nowhere in the Quran or Bible does it say smoking cigarettes is a sin. I am not a drunkard.”
Salami revealed that he had spent 23 years living in various countries, including South Africa, Malaysia, Cyprus, Togo, and Ghana.
His experience has since sparked conversations about forced detentions under the guise of religious practices in Nigeria.
