SAN FRANCISCO, January 01, (THEWILL) – Like entertainers, the lives of socialites are not spared from the microscope of society. Their lives are always under constant scrutiny and they never fail to make headline news.
Here are a few socialites and the controversies they got themselves enmeshed in, in 2020.
The crash of Justice Oguntade’s marriage
Until a few months ago, the respected ex Supreme Court justice, George Adesola Oguntade was Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. After many months of family squabbles, back-biting and mutual distrust, he ended his 17-year-old marriage to his second wife, Modupe Wemimo, a very good friend of Shade Okoya, due to what sources say is her greedy nature as well as what Oguntade’s children from his first marriage consider her undue influence over their father’s life.
Paternity of Tope Alabi’s first-child
Recently, the media was awash about how a certain man named Mayegun Olaoye, attempted to lay claim to Tope Alabi’s first child, Ayomikun, as her father. Ayomikun publicly disowned him saying that the only father she knows is her mother’s husband, Soji Alabi, adding that even though she cannot outrightly deny Mayegun, she has no interest in getting to know him as her supposed ‘father’. In defense of Mayegun, one of his brothers revealed that Tope Alabi was married to Mayegun until she left him to marry Soji Alabi who was her sound engineer. The brother also said, that all efforts made by Mayegun to have a relationship with his daughter was blocked by Tope Alabi who even gave her Soji Alabi’s surname. In all of these back-and-forth accusations, Tope Alabi never bothered to clear the air and set the records straight.
Alaafin of Oyo dumped by two of his young wives
In the course of the year, two of the young wives of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi dumped him and moved on with their lives. First was Queen Ola who moved out of Alaafin’s palace shortly after she completed her National Youth Service Corps, NYSC. And then the rumour mill went agog that she was having an affair with King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, KWAM1. The rumours began soon after KWAM1 was installed the Mayegun of Yoruba land by the Alaafin. Both Queen Ola and KWAM1 denied there was anything between them with KWAM1 threatening to sue the originator of the rumour.
Months after, another young Queen, Anu decided to dump the Alaafin because according to her, she needed her peace of mind. She would later allege that her life was being threatened for leaving the palace.
It is pertinent to note that the Alaafin once said in an interview that he never proposed to any of his young wives.
Love gone sour between LASEMA DG and his lover
A few months ago, a Lagos High Court helped recover a house worth N45m which was hijacked by Ms Olaide Ibraheem, an ex-girlfriend of the director-general of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyitolua. The judge of the case also imposed a fine of N750,000 on Ibraheem, failing which she will be sent to jail for four years. Following the end of their relationship which was supposed to end in marriage, Ibraheem had forged the documents of the house and converted it to hers, prompting the Lagos High Court in 2017 to arraign her on three counts of forgery, forcible entry and criminal damage to a property, contrary to sections 52, 339 and 365(3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.
Anu Adepoju and her botched cosmetics surgeries
Controversial cosmetic surgeon, Dr Anu Adepoju got suspended from the medical profession in Nigeria following multiple claims of malpractice and botched cosmetic surgeries at her clinic, Med Contour. A number of women who went to Med Contour for cosmetic surgery complained of having complications. One particular patient was rushed to LUTH where she eventually died.
Following her death, LUTH petitioned the medical panel and she was subsequently dragged to court by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC and then suspended.
Ikedi Ohakim and his messy fight with mistress
Earlier this year, former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim got into a messy fight with a Nigerian business woman he had a romantic relationship with, Chinyere Amuchinwa, a 56-year-old divorcee from Imo State. The bone of contention? His mistress who had ended the relationship alleged that Ohakim was owing her $200,000 while Ohakim claimed that she was owing him N100m and also wanted to kill him. Ohakim petitioned the Inspector General of Police and an investigation began. However, nothing was heard of the case again.
Ooni of Ife’s defamation suit against Esabod
Earlier in the year, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi slammed a defamation suit against Dublin based social media sensation, Esther Aboderin, more popularly known as Esabod for not only making false accusations against his person and his wife, Olori Naomi, but also, for impugning his character. From alleging that there were plans to eject the Olori Naomi from the palace by the Ooni’s three sisters to alleging that the Ooni’s ex-wife, Olori Wuraola caught him in bed with the revered Rev Esther Ajayi to the Ooni’s alleged plans to sell parts of Ile Ife to the Chinese. And several other damning allegations, like criminal offences, money laundering, human trafficking, racketeering etc. The Ooni made attempts to set the records straight to clear himself of the allegations even stating that these allegations were outright lies. Seeing that there was no stopping Esabod, the Ooni had no choice but to drag her before an Irish Court and prayed the court to order her to take down the defamatory posts on her YouTube page and cease to defame him henceforth. Only then did she stop.
The end of the fairy love tale between Femi Fani Kayode and his 4th wife
No one saw this coming but like his previous marriages, the marriage between former aviation minister, Femi Fani Kayode and his 4thwife, Precious Chikwendu came crashing after six years together and four children. While Precious’ sister alleged the union ended due to domestic violence, Fani-Kayode alleged it ended because of infidelity, claiming he caught his wife in bed with another man.
Oluwo of Iwo and his Jamaican queen
Following the end of his marriage to his Jamaican/Canadian born wife, Chanel, controversial monarch, Oba Abdulrahseed Akanbi put out a disclaimer warning the public to disregard any business transaction or request with his 35 years old estranged queen, using the office of ‘His Majesty’. Chanel would later reveal that she was not too comfortable with the myriad of controversies that mired her estranged husband’s reign as Oluwo. She was said to have been unhappy with the fact that Oluwo quarreled with almost all the friends and some notable personalities who stood by them prior to becoming the monarch. Chanel was said to have become so desolate and lonely as she was not allowed to socialize like other monarchs’ spouses. So, she bided her time and waited for their trip to Canada. She was said to have refused to return with the monarch to Nigeria. It was after the monarch noticed that she meant business that he issued the press statement to announce their divorce.
Helen Prest and her step children
Following the death of Dr Tosin Ajayi who founded First Foundation Medical Limited, Lagos, his children from his first marriage demanded a probe into their father’s death. They alleged that his wife, former beauty queen, Helen Prest, needed to explain the circumstances behind their father’s death and how some vital documents of their father’s business empire got missing. The children claimed that Helen was never legally married to their father, and that the marriage between him and their mother was never dissolved. They alleged that they kept in touch with their father regularly, but he suddenly became unreachable when he got sick adding that when he died, she never informed any of them.
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