A 21-year-old Osun State woman, Hikmat Yinusa, has accused the Osun State coordinator of the Tinubu Youth Vanguard Organisation, Bidemi Adebayo, of withholding N1.5m from a donation meant to support her family after her newborn was detained in a hospital over unpaid bills.
According to The PUNCH report, Yinusa’s baby was held for more than three months at a hospital in Osogbo before public intervention. She said a total donation of N2m was announced for her family by the group, but only N500,000 eventually reached them.
Yinusa stated that the donation was presented on December 16, 2025, at the hospital premises after media reports drew attention to her situation.
She also explained that a representative of the group contacted her family and asked them to return to the hospital from their hometown, Iree.
“The Tinubu Youth Vanguard Organisation sent somebody to us on December 16 to give us money. We were already in Iree when a representative of the group, who introduced himself as Comrade Adebayo, asked us to meet him at the hospital,” she said.
She added, “At the hospital, he presented a N2m cheque placard to my husband and me. He also gave us the organisation’s T-shirts and face caps. But instead of N2m, only N500,000 was transferred to my husband’s account. He promised to pay the remaining balance after one week.”
According to her, the balance never came.
“Up till now, he has refused to release the balance. Each time my husband asks for it, he harasses him,” Yinusa said.
The N2m cheque was dated December 16, 2025, and signed by the Director-General of the Tinubu Youth Vanguard Organisation, Innocent Egede.
Yinusa’s husband, Sodiq, also accused Adebayo of deliberately denying his family the full support approved for them.
“When I first called him to ask for the balance, he told me I should even be grateful that somebody helped me,” Sodiq said.
“He said the money was a privilege and warned me not to disturb him. He later promised to get back to me, but he never did.”
Sodiq said Adebayo later invited him to meet at the hospital in Osogbo but failed to show up.
“I waited for hours and he didn’t come. He kept avoiding me. He thought I was illiterate and could be cheated,” he added.
When contacted, Adebayo denied defrauding the family. He claimed the balance was being kept to address other needs, including house rent.
“The organisation planned to use the remaining money to pay their house rent and handle other needs,” he said.
Asked when this would be done, he said it would be the following week, which elapsed on December 27.
Adebayo later told our correspondent that Sodiq was threatening him over the issue.
“I didn’t defraud them. If I did, they wouldn’t be able to call or send me messages. I am not a fraudster,” he said.
However, he did not explain why the full N2m was not paid at once. He claimed he was still waiting for Sodiq’s bank details.
“The balance will be paid. I asked for his account number, but he refused to respond or pick my calls,” Adebayo added.
Findings showed that the request for the account details came only after the Director-General of the group, Egede, and a senior consultant, Yusuf Gaya, were contacted.
Both men confirmed that the full N2m had already been sent to Adebayo for immediate delivery to the family.
Reacting, Egede described Adebayo’s action as damaging to the group’s image.
“What Adebayo did does not represent our organisation. We are disappointed because we trusted him as our Osun State coordinator,” he said.
“We transferred N2m to his account to be given to the new mother. We were not aware of any wrongdoing until now. Necessary action will be taken, and we will ensure the N1.5m balance is paid to the woman.”
He added, “Our organisation is genuinely committed to helping vulnerable people and the less privileged.”
Yet, an additional N600,000 was sent to Adebayo as logistics support for the family.
A senior member of the organisation said the money was sent in three parts.
“It was not only the N2m. We also sent N600,000 as logistics in three tranches of N100,000, N200,000 and N300,000. I have the payment records. We never believed Adebayo would do this,” he said.
