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Pregnant woman narrates her 10-years domestic violence ordeal

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“I’ve lost my self-confidence and I’ve lost my self-worth. I asked myself why these things were happening to me.” These are the words of Sherifat Abu Ismaila, a resident of Bwari, Abuja, who says she has suffered physical abuse from her husband since they got married in 2009.

The 39-year-old mother of three recalled that everything changed just a year after she married Nurudeen, her banker husband.

“The first time he hit me was after he travelled for work. When he came back, I was packing his bag when I saw a condom and asked him why he had one since we just got married,” she told newsmen.

“Before I could finish speaking, he slapped me so hard that I started crying. I didn’t know what to do because I knew the kind of family I came from. I couldn’t really tell my family what was happening. I’ve just been bottling up a lot of things. I’ve gone through a lot.”

Sherifat said she did not tell anyone about her predicament until two years ago during Ramadan, when her husband threw her out of the house. Her husband had just lost his dad, she said.

“The children were playing loudly in the house. I called them and said they should go and sit down since we just lost their grandfather. My husband heard me speaking and thought I was scolding the children. Before I could explain, he started to beat me and then chased me out of the compound without my hijab,” she said as she stifled tears.

The incident was particularly memorable to Sherifat because according to her, she adorns herself in a full hijab when outside her home.

“It was at this point I could no longer bear it and decided to call my older cousin who also lives in Abuja. He came and packed my things to his place. After everything, my husband came to beg and said he would change. I called one of my other cousins who is a lawyer and he took my husband to court where he promised to never do such a thing again and said the court should hold it against him if he did,” she said.

“My family members said since he has promised in court, I should go back home.”

Unfortunately for Sherifat, after she went back, “everything became worse than they were before I left”.

Sherifat also said she suffered sexual neglect from her husband, adding that she seldom had sex with him.

“My husband didn’t touch me (sexually) since December last year till March this year after which I took in. As we speak, I am seven weeks pregnant and he knows about it,” she said.

“When I need him, he’ll tell me to leave him alone and not touch him. When I ask why, he’ll say nothing. I asked him if this is what Islam said, he said yes, that Islamically when a man says something, a woman is not supposed to say anything.”

She explained that she stayed with her husband despite the abuse because “a child was already involved” when it started.

Sherifat also added that she has, however, decided to leave her husband. She said she made the decision after he beat her on Tuesday morning with a belt, despite her pregnancy.

Her offence, she said, was picking up a call from her sister who wanted to check up on her.

“My husband had stopped me from receiving calls from my family,” she explained.

“My family thought everything was now going fine since the last time until I told them about the beating of this morning. I said I cannot sleep in that house this night so I just went to my cousin’s house and that’s where I am now with my children. My husband has not called me till this minute.

“Today I thought I would leave this world so I even wrote everything that happened down.

“Right now I can no longer stay in the marriage. I cannot! There is no pleading in this world that can make me go back to my abusive husband.

“When I heard of the Osinachi story, I wondered if history is repeating itself so soon. I hoped my story would not end like hers because apparently, everything that’s happening in my life is just the same as what happened in her life. I’m sure if I go back, it’s my dead body my family will come for the next day.”

On whether she has reported the abuse to the authorities, the 39-year-old said she went to the sharia court to report the case on Tuesday, because she got married under Islamic law.

“They called him and said we should report to the court tomorrow morning by 9am. But I have decided to go back and my family supports me,” she added.

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Olajumoke Onibread narrates how ex-husband assaulted and ruined her career

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Olajumoke Orisaguna, the Nigerian model famously known as Olajumoke Onibread, has recounted her harrowing experience with domestic abuse.

Olajumoke rose to fame in 2016 after accidentally walking into a photo shoot with British rapper Tinie Tempah, captured by TY Bello. However, she disappeared from the public eye, leaving many wondering about her whereabouts.

In a recent interview with City FM, Olajumoke alleged that she endured a toxic relationship with her ex-husband Sunday Orisaguna.

She said they lived in Ire, Osun state before she relocated to Lagos. The model described the environment at their Ire home as “hostile”, citing her mother-in-law’s “mistreatment” and Sunday’s “physical abuse”.

She said after relocating to Lagos, she started hawking bread before crossing paths with TY Bello. She said Sunday, however, joined her in Lagos, and the alleged abuse continued.

Olajumoke said she felt ashamed to deny claims of marriage due to their two children. She claimed that her career suffered after their separation, alleging that Sunday maligned her reputation and that of her supporters.

“The time we were in Ire, we stayed in my husband’s family house and there is no way you stay in that kind of place that you would not encounter problems. My mother-in-law was very hostile towards me and I would have to close my hairdressing shop on time just so I could go make dinner at home,” she said.

“And it was whatever she told her son is what he listens to. He would not even listen to my own side of the story before he started beating me up. Whenever me and his mother had misunderstandings, he would not even listen to me before hitting me. He would beat me to the extent that my face and body would be swollen. Sometimes he would even make use of a belt. That was when we were in Ire, Osun state.

“I would hide what was happening because I did not want my mom to hear. She also lived within the same vicinity as us. Before when I go and report to her, she’ll say she did not give me out in marriage to anyone. Even my mum’s younger sister was against me marrying him, as she had lived longer in Ire than me, so she knew what she was saying. But when the pregnancy issue happened, there was nothing anyone could do.

“So my mum will tell me she did not bless any marriage and she cannot also ask me to leave there, so she did not involve herself in the issue. When he beat me, I would not be able to wear short-sleeved clothes, but long-sleeved dresses. I did not tell anyone, only those who lived with us in the house knew about it. Fast forward to January 2016 when I wanted to move to Lagos, we were frying akara for his dad’s remembrance when I had an issue with his elder sister.

“As usual, he beat me up and I decided that I was going to leave, move to Lagos, and start working at the bakery because I had been there before. The third day after that incident, I packed my load and brought my two children with me to Lagos because I could not leave them there. Getting to the bakery, I had to explain to my friend what happened and she was happy that I had finally left because she was part of the people that warned me about him.

“What I am saying now, I have never said it out before. Even when I met TY Bello and I told her that I had a husband, my friend was furious when she found out. She was like I do not have sense, why would I say someone who beats me is my husband? I had to explain that I had to say that because I have children. That was how he came to Lagos. Even in the house that was rented for me in Surulere, he would still beat me up.

“I did not even tell TY Bello what was going on. I could not even admit that we were not married. I am a very gentle person so I did not tell anyone what was going on, I was enduring all of it. Sometimes when he goes out to drink, because he is someone to have a good time, when he gets back and a minor misunderstanding happens, he would start beating me again. It is almost four years since we separated.

“While he was beating me, he did not have a job. I was the one who would go out to hustle for us because I did not want my children to suffer. He would just stay at home and sleep or go out to drink. I did not even disturb him from doing these things, I just wanted him to stop beating me. Then he also started monitoring me when I went to work. If I go for photoshoots, sometimes I come back very late. He would accuse me of sleeping around with other men.

“So I decided to finally leave him. It got so bad that he would even start insulting my parents. It was when I separated from him, that was when everything started going down the drain because he started spoiling my name. All those who had helped me then, he started saying bad things against them. Since then, things started going down.”

Olajumoke has returned to the spotlight as a radio presenter with her talk show ‘Kilon Shele’.

She disclosed that her radio show will focus on her personal story, including her experiences with exploitative managers who took advantage of her lack of education.

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Relationships

Fans confused as Chike poses with mystery woman

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Chike, the Nigerian singer and songwriter, has sparked romance rumours after sharing an intimate photo with a mystery woman on Instagram.

The ‘Boo of the Booless’ hitmaker posted the picture on Wednesday, showcasing the pair in traditional Igbo and Yoruba attire.

He captioned the photo: “When I wake in the morning, I thank God for you”.

However, it remains unclear whether the photo is a glimpse into Chike’s personal life or a promotional shot for an upcoming music video.

Comments like “Happy married life o,” “my man pls don’t break my heart oo,” and “omo see as my heart cut babe stop naw” flooded the singer’s page.

The development comes as a surprise, considering Chike’s previous admission that he has never told a woman “I love you”.

In a 2022 interview, the 31-year-old singer revealed that saying “I love you” makes him feel vulnerable.

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Relationships

Meagan Good, Jonathan Majors are engaged

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The Hollywood stars Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors are engaged.

The couple announced their engagement on Sunday at the 2024 Ebony Power 100 List event held at Nya Studios in Los Angeles.

Meagan showed off her engagement ring while the lovebirds posed for loved-up photos on the red carpet.

They also revealed why they chose the particular event to go public with their engagement.

“Ebony Power 100 is the event that we met at in the bathrooms, in the unisex bathroom,” Meagan said.

Good was married to DeVon Franklin, the US pastor and producer, from 2012 to 2021. She and Majors were first linked romantically in May 2023.

Earlier this year, Good opened up about how friends advised her about the scrutiny she could face by being with him. She also discussed how she has stood by him through his challenges.

Majors was found guilty of assault in the third degree and harassment in December 2023, following a March 2023 arrest in New York.

He was arrested after allegedly assaulting Grace Jabbari, his ex-girlfriend.

In April 2024, Majors was sentenced to one year of domestic violence counseling, which includes a 52-week, in-person program in Los Angeles. He was also required to continue mental health therapy and provide regular updates on his progress.

Also, the court issued a permanent protective order between Majors and Jabbari, with potential jail time for any violations of his sentencing terms.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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