Somadina Anyama, the former Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) housemate, has denied allegations of physical abuse by Hilda Dirisu, his ex-girlfriend.

On November 6, Hilda took to her X page to accuse Soma of physically abusing her in April.

She claimed that the reality TV star damaged her phone, “drugged, hit, tied me up, and instilled fear in me”.

“Ask Somadina what happened at my house in late April this year—how he drugged me, hit me, tied me up and smashed my phone—knowing he’d instilled fear in me over the years and thought that I wouldn’t speak up one day,” she wrote.

“Ask him why he keeps lying to everyone, putting on a two-faced mask of innocence. The list is endless! I’ve kept quiet this long and moved on with my life.”

But in an Instagram post on Monday, Soma denied the allegations, labeling them “false” and “baseless”.

The reality star added that he holds no resentment towards Hilda despite their failed relationship.

“I want to clearly state that the accusations being made against me are false. I have never drugged, assaulted, or harmed anyone, and I deeply condemn any form of abuse,” he said.

“These allegations are completely baseless and such actions are contrary to my values and the person I strive to be.

“I acknowledge that I was once in a relationship with the individual making these claims and like many relationships, ours had its highs and lows and ultimately came to an end.

“Although the relationship did not work out, I hold no resentment or ill will. My wish has always been for both of us to move forward in peace and pursue happiness in our individual paths.”

In a follow-up post, Soma, through Kelmar Legal, his lawyers, cautioned Hilda to desist from making defamatory statements and false allegations against him.

He said her statements exposed him to “public ridicule” and caused him “significant personal and emotional harm”.

“Our Client unequivocally denies these allegations and asserts that at no point during or after the relationship did he engage in any act of physical violence, coercion, drugging, or abuse toward you or any individual,” the lawsuit reads in part.

“You are hereby formally put on notice to immediately to issue a public and unequivocal retraction of all defamatory statements and provide a formal written apology within seven days.”

Okey Bakassi, the Nigerian comedian and actor, has argued that polygamy is the most suitable form of marriage for African society.

During an appearance on the ‘Honest Bunch’ podcast, Bakassi claimed that “monogamy is not working”.

He argued that many individuals in monogamous marriages are merely pretending to be happy.

“Forget all the lip services that we pay to polygamy here. I still think that polygamy is the best form of marriage for Africa. Monogamy is not working,” he said.

“We are pretending. Now, what is the difference between polygamy and monogamy? Polygamy says you can marry two people at the same time. Monogamy says you cannot marry them at the same time, you have to let one go. What if you don’t want to let one go?”

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.