Toluwanisings buried at Ibadan home after weeks of family dispute over burial

Gospel singer Olayemi Bolaji, the man fans knew as Toluwanisings, has finally been laid to rest. The burial took place on Monday, November 9, 2026, at his home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, according to Punch and Vanguard. It came almost four weeks after his death and after a public quarrel over where his body should be buried.

Punch described the ceremony as private, with only a small number of guests present. Vanguard said the burial closed a chapter of weeks of disagreement within the family about his final resting place. Daily Post and Vanguard give the singer's full name as Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji.

Tears and closed doors

Daily Post reported that the singer was buried amid tears, after a private funeral service attended by fellow musicians, friends and relatives. Citing the BBC, the outlet said journalists and bloggers were not allowed into the venue. That detail has not been independently confirmed by other outlets.

The funeral plan posted on Instagram

Early on Monday, an order of funeral arrangements appeared on the late singer's official Instagram page. It listed a lying-in-state between 9am and 10am, to be followed by a burial service between 10am and 11am.

The programme named Banjola Event and Conference Centre, No. 20, Hope Road, Alakia, Ibadan, as the venue. The poster bore the words "Forever in our Hearts, always in our Lives," but it gave no indication of where the interment itself would happen. Reports later in the day said he was buried at his residence.

How he died

His family had announced that Toluwanisings died in the early hours of October 14, 2026. Daily Post reported that he slumped and died at his home. The circumstances around his passing later became a subject of controversy, and his family called for an investigation into the death as well as a halt to the planned burial.

A row over where to bury him

According to Punch, his father reportedly wanted him buried either at the house he built or next to his late mother in Osun State. His wife was said to be against a burial at their home. Neither position was publicly confirmed by the parties in the sources available.

The dispute spilled into the open and played out across several public platforms. Punch reported that the Oyo State Police Commissioner, Olugbenga Abimbola, was informed on October 28, 2026, about the disagreement between the singer's family and his associates, and the command stepped in to calm tempers.

The peace undertaking

On November 3, the parties put pen to paper before the commissioner. Signatories included the widow, Mrs Elizabeth Damilola Olayemi, and the singer's father, Mr Muniru Olayemi. Friends and associates of the late musician, namely Oyindamola Esther, Babadunni Gbolabo and Lawal Ademola Rafiu, also signed.