Nollywood actress Laide Bakare has appealed to Nigerians to intervene over what she described as the alleged maltreatment of her two sons by their stepmother.
Bakare made the allegation in an emotional video shared online, where she claimed that her sons, who currently live with their father, have not been treated well by his wife.
The actress, who was married to Alhaji Mutairu Atanda Orilowo in 2012 before their marriage ended, said her former husband had insisted that their two sons remain in his custody despite her pleas.
According to Bakare, she recently became aware of an alleged conversation involving her sons, their stepmother and other children in the household.
She claimed that during the conversation, the stepmother allegedly instructed one of her children not to beat one of Bakare’s sons where the father would see the injury, but instead to hold him by the neck.
Bakare said she had evidence of the alleged conversation because she was reportedly on a call at the time and had unknowingly recorded it.
She further alleged that she had raised concerns with her former husband but accused him of failing to take action.
The actress said she had remained silent about the matter for a long time but decided to speak publicly because she was increasingly worried about her children’s welfare.
“I have been living in fear,” Bakare said, while appealing to Nigerians to intervene.
She also expressed concern about her sons remaining in the care of their stepmother, alleging that the woman behaves differently in public from how she allegedly treats the children privately.
Bakare has three children from two previous marriages. She has a daughter, Simi, with her first husband, Olumide Okufulure, and two sons with Orilowo.
The actress had previously spoken publicly about her former husbands, including in 2023 when she criticised them over what she described as irresponsible fatherhood.
However, Orilowo and his wife have yet to publicly respond to Bakare’s latest allegations.
The allegations remain claims made by the actress, and no independent evidence confirming the alleged maltreatment has been established publicly.
