By Kate Halim
Many Nigerian celebrities made headlines this year. Some got married; others welcomed children, while some bought cars, built houses and even got mouth-watering deals. But as the year is coming to an end, Nigerians won’t forget in a hurry the celebrity marriages that ended this year.
1. Bright Okpocha (Basketmouth) and Elsie
Recently, popular comedian, Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, shocked Nigerians when he announced the end of his marriage to his wife Elsie.
The comic star announced on his official Instagram page, stating the decision to part ways with his wife was difficult for them but unavoidable.
He said: “As much as it pains me to bring my personal life to the public space, this is an unavoidable situation. After much deliberation, my wife and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage.”
“As we move forward separately, we will continue to work together to give our beautiful children all the care, love, guidance and support they need. We humbly ask that you respect our privacy as we navigate through these times. Thank you.”
Basketmouth and Elsie Uzoma Okpocha tied the knot in 2010. They have three children together, Janelle, Jason, and Maya Okpocha.
2. Korra Obidi and Justin Dean
Korra Obidi, a famous Nigerian dancer has been in the news since her ex-husband Justin Dean announced they were going their separate ways in March, just a few weeks after they welcomed their second child.
Dean, a chiropractor had accused Obidi of infidelity, narcissism and unaccountability. He added that he was heartbroken and needed to walk away from their marriage to protect his mental health.
In her defence, Korra explained that her ex-husband began to complain about the amount of time she spent on social media after they got married.
The 27-year-old said the situation worsened after her social media page was monetized as Dean believes her money belongs to him.
Last month, Dean, bashed his ex-wife, Korra Obidi for celebrating the end of their marriage on Facebook, after their divorce was finalized.
3. Anita Isama and Paul Okoye
In December, the marriage of singer Paul Okoye and his wife Anita Isama was dissolved by an Abuja court. Anita implicated her estranged husband in an alleged affair with their housekeeper.
She also released addresses of hotels and apartments the musician used as his love nest as part of the evidence to strengthen her case in court. The couple got married in 2014 and they have three children.
4. Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz
In June, rapper, Abdulrasheed Bello popularly known as JJC Skillz announced the end of his marriage to his wife, Funke Akindele. JJC Skillz, who had in April denied reports of his marriage crisis, confirmed it to be true months later. The duo got married six years ago.
He wrote: “Dear Friends and family, I need to let you know that Funke and I have separated. While it lasted, we shared a lot of things together and created two beautiful children. The last two years have been extremely difficult for us. I know I have tried my best to fix things, but I believe it is beyond repair now. Three months ago and at Funke’s insistence, I moved out of the house and I have not been able to get Funke to sit down in an amicable manner to discuss the future of our relationship.
”I’m making this announcement so that the public is clear that we both are pursuing separate lives. We still have issues that need to be addressed such as the custody and well-being of our children which is paramount as well as business interests which need to be disentangled but I have no doubt that these will be resolved one way or the other.”
Recently, Funke Akindele broke her silence about why her marriage crashed. She said: “The truth is our dreams and vision of what our marriage should be just no longer aligned. And efforts to make it work all fell on deaf ears, so why hang around.”
5. Julius Agwu and Ibiere
Even though the rumour of his marriage crash filtered in earlier this year, it wasn’t until recently that it was confirmed. Popular comedian and actor, Julius Agwu confirmed the end of his marriage to his wife, Ibiere.
In a recent interview with media personality Daddy Freeze, he revealed that his wife said she was tired of the marriage and left. “My wife said she is not marrying me again. That is true. She said she is tired of the marriage and that she is not marrying me again.”
The couple got married in May 2008 and they have two kids.
6. Gideon Okeke and Chidera
In October, Gideon Okeke’s four-year-old marriage to Chidera Uduezue crashed. The actor announced his separation from his wife in an Instagram post.
He wrote: “You wouldn’t believe it if told you that I’m separated from my marriage right? No, you wouldn’t, so grab a seat. It is in the interest of clarity and a clear conscience that this becomes imperative. It’s been a hard hot pill I’ve had to swallow, and boy, it sure humbles one….”
“But as I look to the future, I pray for my boys, such lovely boys. Please, put us all in your prayers, no pity party. They need Mum and Dad sane, sound and strong for the fulfilment of their best interests and we are working towards it…Please don’t call, and don’t text, as we work our way to final dissolution. These processes take a toll on one as you may know. God bless you all.”
Gideon married Chidera in a quiet but intimate white wedding ceremony in April 2019 but the ex-couple tied the knot traditionally in 2018. They have two children together.
7. Saint Obi and Lynda
Nollywood actor, Obinna Nwafor, popularly known as Saint Obi was locked in a messy divorce with his now estranged wife, Lynda.
While Saint Obi initiated the divorce proceeding, his wife, Lynda appeared to be sabotaging the process as she repeatedly failed to appear in court each time the case was called up, causing the Judge, Justice Omotayo O. Majekodunmi, to issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
Lynda, an MTN Nigeria executive, married Saint Obi in a lavish ceremony in December 2006 in the former’s homeland of Anambra, and the couple has three children – two boys and a girl.
The divorce was filed based on an alleged attempt on the actor’s life, which was reportedly orchestrated by his now estranged wife and her brothers in a suit filed at the High Court of Ogun State by Saint Obi.
According to reports, Lynda allegedly imprisoned the children by hiring mobile police officers to prevent Saint Obi from having access to them.
8. Oritsefemi and Nabila
In October, Nabila Fash announced that her marriage with singer Oritsefemi had ended. She accused Oritsefemi of incessant cheating. Fash revealed at the time that they were currently going through a divorce process after discovering that the singer had welcomed a child with another woman while they were still married.
She revealed that Oritsefemi had two daughters from two different women before they met, and she took the girls as her daughters. She however said the singer had gotten another lady pregnant while they were dating, and while they got married, he welcomed another daughter with the same woman.
Fash confessed that she had to deal with his constant cheating as several women reached out to her to inform her of his cheating habits. She added that Oritsefemi was expecting a son with the fourth woman during the period he came online to ask the public to help beg her, narrating how she had to move out of their home because he was physically abusive towards her.
However, the singer came out to deny that he was never abusive to his wife. They got married in 2020.
9. Sina Rambo and Korth
Nigerians were shocked to learn that the marriage between the son of the Osun State Governor, Adesina Adeleke popularly known as Sina Rambo, and his wife Korth hit the rocks.
Korth had come online to accuse her estranged husband of violence. She took to her Instagram stories to accuse Sina Rambo and his sister of violence, and also shared videos, chats, and pictures to prove her claims.
She insisted that the marriage was over as she refused to succumb to abuse. She accused the governor’s son of debt and she asked him to pay back the money he owed her.
10. Do2dtun and Omotayo
Omotayo, the wife of on-air-personality Kayode Ojuolape Oladotun popularly known as Do2dtun, filed for divorce over allegations of forced abortion, domestic violence and emotional abuse. The couple got married in 2013 and they have two children.
She instituted a divorce proceeding before Justice A. I Akobi of Court 23, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over allegations of “unending reckless emotional abuse, forced abortion and vicious domestic violence” by Do2dtun which has adversely impacted her health and general well-being.
The court documents signed by Omotayo’s lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, the Managing Partner of Abuja-based Law Corridor, said the OAP forced his wife to abort her third pregnancy as a married woman. The court subsequently granted the divided custody of the children, which Omotayo did not oppose pending the final determination of the suit in court.
Reacting to the allegations via Instagram, the radio host accused his wife’s family and lawyers of spreading lies about him. He also promised to expose the family’s wicked and deceitful ways.