Ayinde Bakare (born 1912) was one of the earliest pioneers of Yoruba jùjú and highlife music in Nigeria. Popularly known as “Mr. Juju,” he led the famous Meranda Orchestra and had performed professionally for nearly four decades before his sudden and tragic death.
A Pioneer of Juju Music
Formed his band in 1935.
Mentored under Tunde King, one of the founding figures of modern jùjú music.
Performed alongside notable contemporaries including Tunde Nightingale and Ambrose Campbell.
His “faaji” (party-style) music made him one of Lagos’ most sought-after bandleaders in the 1950s–70s social scene.
October 1, 1972 — The Disappearance
On Nigeria’s 12th Independence Anniversary (October 1, 1972), Bakare was booked for two engagements:
A daytime wedding performance at Isale-Gangan, Lagos Island.
An evening show in Ijebu-Ode.
During a break at the Lagos event, he reportedly stepped away backstage after being invited for a discussion by unknown persons. He never returned.
His band completed the event without him. Initial assumptions suggested he may have left temporarily, but when he failed to appear at the Ijebu-Ode show, alarm spread.
Discovery in the Lagoon
On October 4, 1972, marine police recovered the body of an unidentified adult male floating near Bonny Camp, Victoria Island, Lagos Lagoon.
Despite widespread media coverage of Bakare’s disappearance, authorities did not immediately identify the body. It was buried in a mass grave at Atan Cemetery by the Lagos City Council.
Weeks later, after further identification details — including a tattoo reading “A.S. Bakare” on his right hand — the body was exhumed and confirmed to be Ayinde Bakare.
Autopsy and Inquest
An autopsy conducted by Dr. Nasirudeen Olaseni Akinlade concluded the cause of death as drowning.
A coroner’s inquest, led by Mrs. Grace Akinboboye in 1973, examined testimonies from members of his band. Allegations surfaced of disputes over performance earnings (₦60 engagement fee).
While suspicion was cast on certain band members, the coroner ruled that there was no incontrovertible evidence to prove murder, though she expressed belief that some witnesses withheld information.
The case was never conclusively resolved.
Cultural Echoes
The tragedy deeply shook Nigeria’s music scene. Apala legend Ayinla Omowura memorialized Bakare in song, referencing the tattoo that eventually identified his body.
Ironically, Ayinla Omowura himself would later die violently in 1980.
Legacy
Ayinde Bakare remains a foundational figure in Yoruba popular music history.
His mysterious death is one of the most debated unresolved cases in Nigeria’s entertainment history.
His influence shaped the development of jùjú music before the rise of later icons like King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey.
Source
Credit: Itafa Olayemi Olaboye
Nigerian music history accounts and coroner’s inquest records (1973)
Archival reports on Ayinde Bakare’s disappearance and death
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