Nigerian singer Ọlawale Ọlọfọrọ, popularly known as Brymo, has accused Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Yoruba traditional leader Gani Adams of being connected to the origins and promotion of cultism in Nigerian higher institutions.

The singer’s allegations centre on the history of campus confraternities and the violence associated with groups that emerged in Nigerian universities. He said he would not forgive the individuals he accused over what he described as the deaths of young men.

Soyinka, a Nobel Prize-winning writer, is one of the seven students who founded the Pyrates Confraternity at the University College, Ibadan, in 1952. The organisation, now known as the National Association of Seadogs, was established to challenge tribalism, elitism and other social divisions among students.

Brymo’s criticism echoes a long-running debate over whether the establishment of the original confraternity contributed to the emergence of violent campus cults in subsequent decades.

In a series of social media posts, the singer directly challenged Soyinka over the history of the movement.

“Dear Wole Soyinka, why did you start this killer movements,” Brymo wrote in one of the posts.

He also linked his claims to what he described as personal experiences at Lagos State University, Chevron and within the Nigerian music industry.

The allegations have a wider historical context. Although the Pyrates Confraternity was established with stated ideals of comradeship and opposition to social discrimination, other confraternities and splinter groups emerged over the following decades. Some became associated with violent rivalries and criminal activities on university campuses.

A 2005 study by Adewale Rotimi, published in the Nordic Journal of African Studies, examined the development of secret cults in Nigerian universities and the transformation of campus confraternities. The research discussed the changing character of these groups and the broader social and political conditions surrounding campus violence.

Soyinka has previously rejected the classification of the original Pyrates Confraternity as a criminal cult. In an interview reported by Vanguard on August 11, 2015, he argued that legitimate fraternities should not be confused with groups involved in violent and criminal activities.

He also criticised the media's treatment of the terms “fraternity” and “cultism,” maintaining that the existence of an organised student fraternity did not automatically make it an evil or criminal organisation.

The distinction remains central to the controversy surrounding Brymo’s allegations. Soyinka’s documented role in founding the Pyrates Confraternity does not, by itself, establish that he directed or encouraged the criminal activities of groups that emerged later.

Obasanjo and Adams were also named in the headline associated with Brymo’s accusations. However, the specific evidence the singer presented against each man, including the precise roles he alleged they played in promoting campus cultism, requires confirmation from the original statement.