Family locks Nigerian man in Alfa’s house over property dispute

Bayo Salami, a South Africa-based Nigerian, has shared his shocking story of being detained by his family under the guise of prayers at an Islamic cleric’s (Alfa’s) residence after returning to Nigeria to check on properties he had been financially supporting for years.

In a viral video that emerged online on Sunday, Salami recounted his distressing experience, visibly shaken as he described how he was allegedly locked up and mistreated by his own family.

Salami, who resides in Cape Town, South Africa, revealed that he owns a business called Kuvuki Empire and has worked with prominent Nigerian musicians. “I’m based in Cape Town, South Africa. My name is Bayo Salami, and I run Kuvuki Empire. I’ve promoted some of the biggest shows, from Davido to Wizkid, Banky W, and M.I.,” he said.

He explained that his return to Nigeria after 23 years was to inspect properties he had been financing, but his family claimed that the properties were still under construction. Rather than argue, he decided to return to South Africa, but his family insisted he visit an Alfa for prayers, promising that it would bring divine blessings.

“I came back to Nigeria for family matters, specifically to inquire about my properties. They told me the properties were still under development, and I didn’t complain. I just said he would return to South Africa,” Salami explained.

Trusting his family, he agreed to visit the cleric. However, once they arrived, he was forcibly locked in a room. Inside, he found other people who had been detained for months, living in deplorable conditions.

“There were people who had been there for six months to a year. The conditions were terrible,” Salami recalled.

He also shared that his family occasionally brought him food, sometimes twice a day, but he had to follow a strict hierarchy among the detainees. “The people there had been there for months. There was a hierarchy. Sometimes when my family brought food, it had to be handed over to the top person. When my sister brought a mat for me, they took it, saying it was for the leader of the house. I didn’t argue because I didn’t want any problems,” he explained.

Salami’s family reportedly justified his detention by accusing him of smoking cigarettes. Expressing his disbelief, he said, “I’ve been to Dubai, where they don’t drink alcohol but smoke cigarettes. Nowhere in the Quran or Bible is smoking forbidden. I’m not a drunkard.”

Salami went on to reveal that he had spent the past 23 years living in various countries, including South Africa, Malaysia, Cyprus, and several West African nations such as Togo and Ghana.