AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Isale gangan9/16/2023 ![]() ![]() The body was dumped among other unclaimed bodies and was given a mass burial by the Lagos City Council at the Atan Cemetery in Yaba (Lagos Mainland). Despite the wide publication of the missing Ayinde Bakare in the major newspapers of the era, the police authorities could not identify the body as that of Ayinde Bakare. Meanwhile on Wednesday, 4th October 1972, the marine police had found a body of an adult male floating on the Lagos Lagoon near Bonny Camp in Victoria Island. ![]() Before that fateful day, Bakare had been a performing/recording artiste for 37 years having started his Juju band in 1935 and no such disappearance was ever known of him. Various search-parties (family, friends, fans and professional bodies) combed every corner (so it seemed) of Nigeria and the neighboring countries for Ayinde Bakare but the search yielded no positive result. Further searchlight was beamed towards Ijebu-Ode venue of the second show but Bakare was not there either. The Deputy Band Leader, Ayanniyi Atanda took over and conducted the rest session of the performance and curiously superintended the sharing of the day’s proceeds among the rest of the band members without leaving anything for their missing leader, Bakare. When it was taken too long for him to return, the initial notion was that Bakare had gone with a female fan to a hideout for a tryst as was common among the Band Leaders of that era. Ayinde Bakare retreated to the backstage to catch some breath before the Band would reconvene for the second session while he was there, some unknown persons reportedly invited him for some discussions away from his Band members. The Band had finished the first session of entertainment at the Isale-Gangan show and took a break as was the practice. Such was the high demand for Bakare’s ‘faaji’ music in the social circle of the era. Indeed, an advance party of his Band had gone ahead to Ijebu-Ode while the Lagos show was going on. One of such was the rave of that era in the Juju genre – Saibu Ayinde Bakare Ajikobi popularly known as Ayinde Bakare and his Meranda Orchestra.Īyinde Bakare was booked to play at a wedding event at Isale-Gangan area of Lagos Island it was a half-day show as Bakare was billed for another engagement on the evening of same day at Ijebu-Ode. ![]() The popular musicians of the period were fully booked for one engagement or another in various parts of the bustling city. As usual, the Lagos city social circle was in frenzy for the celebration. Sunday, Octowas the 12th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence. ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |