In 2024, some Nigerian entertainers chose to allow the issues they have with others to slide peacefully while others handled it legally.
Some of these cases were spontaneous while others had been dragging for a while and these celebs felt the best way to resolve them was by filing lawsuits.
In this article, Legit takes a look at how some celebs including Falz, Mercy Chinwo, and May Edochie, among others, handled some of their issues in 2024.
1. May Edochie versus Baba De Baba
Influencer and actress May Yul-Edochie slammed comedian Chidi Uzoma, aka Baba De Baba with a lawsuit after he made some allegations against her in December 2024.
The funnyman had accused May of sleeping with men and women, and he claimed that she has HIV.
This did not go down with May who demanded an apology and gave him an ultimatum. However, Baba De Baba said he could apologise but deleting the content on his page may take a while.
See May’s lawsuit below:
2. Sinach versus Maye
A music producer Michael Oluwole, aka Maye, had demanded co-ownership of the hit gospel song Way Maker which belonged to award-winning gospel singer Osinachi Kalu-Egbu, aka Sinach. He said he was a co-owner of the song which was released in 2016, and he slammed Sinach with a N5 billion copyright lawsuit.
In her response, Sinach said she paid Maye what was due to him, which was N150,000 ($300), for mixing the song. Hence, she does not owe him anything. The case was heard at the Federal High Court in Lagos on November 27, 2024, and was adjourned to January 29 and 30, 2025.
3. Falz versus VDM and Bobrisky
Singer and actor Folarin Falana, aka Falz, filed a defamation lawsuit against media personality Vincent Martins Otse, aka Verydarkman (VDM), after he accused him of influencing crossdresser Bobrisky’s prison case.
In an audio released by VDM, Bobrisky, real name Idris Okuneye Olarenwaju, allegedly said that Falz helped him to secure a convenient place in the correctional centre after he was sentenced to jail for six months for the abuse of the naira in April 2024.
While narrating the audio, VDM questioned Falz if he does bedroom activities with men, and he asked him to clarify his name. Falz accused VDM of defamation of character and asked him to apologise within 24 hours. However, VDM did not apologise and the case was taken to court in November 2024 and was later adjourned to January 2025.
In addition, Falz and his father Femi Falana (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) had demanded that Bobrisky should retract his statement in the audio or else he would be taken to court. The crossdresser noted that he was not the one who released the audio and he was being roped into the issue.
See Falz’s lawsuit in the slides below:
4. Peter Okoye of P-Square versus brother Jude
Singer Peter Okoye, aka Mr P of the defunct music group P-Square, was involved in a messy drama with his twin brother and co-P-Square star Paul Okoye, aka Rudeboy.
Mr P had filed a petition against his older brother and former manager Jude Okoye. He accused him of diverting funds meant for the music group into another company account called Northside Music.
In his response, Jude said he was part of the P-Square entity and his share of their royalty was 25 percent. The drama between the Okoye brothers has been an unending one and fans have accepted the end of the music group.
See P-Square’s court document in the slides below:
5. Nathaniel Bassey/Mercy Chinwo versus netizens
Gospel singer Mercy Chinwo-Blessed unveiled the face of her son Charis months after he was born and it caused massive reactions on social media. While some people were wowed by how cute the baby was, others noted that the boy looked like Mercy’s senior colleague Pastor Nathaniel Bassey.
Several netizens made allegations that Bassey may be the father of the baby and they suggested that a DNA should be done. The insinuations spurred the Bassey to file a petition with the Inspector General of Police against the netizens.
Also, the Excess Love crooner and her husband Pastor Blessed Uzochikwa also dragged those accused to the Abuja magistrate court for criminal defamation.
While some of the netizens apologised, some kept saying that Charis resembled the Jesus Iye hitmaker.
6. Davido versus Sophia
One of the lawsuits that shook the social media space in 2024 was that of Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, aka Davido, against his baby mama Sophia Momodu.
The Unavailable crooner had filed a lawsuit seeking joint custody of their daughter Imade Adeleke. Momodu responded with reasons she could not allow Davido to have joint custody of their child.
According to Sophia, Davido was incapable of taking care of Imade and she cited how the artiste lost his son three-year-old son Ifeanyi, who drowned in the swimming pool in his home. Davido read through several reactions on social media and stated that Sophia could keep Imade.
7. Iyabo Ojo versus Lizzy Anjorin
Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo and her colleague Liz Anjorin were engaged in a drama on social media. The latter regularly threw shades at the former describing her with the pseudonym Sepeteri.
Iyabo got tired of Lizzy’s shades and filed a case of defamation of character against her on November 24, 2023. The case was handled at a high court in Lagos, which spilled into 2024.
After Lizzy failed to appear in court in February 2024, the case was adjourned to April 2024. During their court appearance in June 2024, the judged sued for peace between the duo and asked them to stop their social media fights.
Watch Iyabo Ojo’s video at the court below:
Iyabo Ojo drags Lizzy Anjorin to court
Earlier, Legit reported that a series of videos of Iyabo in court trended online as she finally took legal action against her colleague Lizzy Anjorin.
In a video, Iyabo Ojo was spotted with her lawyer as she revealed the case had been adjourned to April 10.
Lizzy Anjorin’s absence at the court stirred reactions from netizens as many dragged her for not making an appearance.
