Since The Kim Kardashian sex tape scandal of 2007, sex tapes have slowly become a part of the entertainment industry rather than an aberration. People barely pay any attention to the extreme breach of privacy and disregard of consent that the release of these sex tapes connotes. Over the years, we have witnessed several Nigerian celebrities fall victim to this menace, even though many will argue that some of these leaks were deliberate.
Let’s go down memory lane to the times when our dear Nigerian celebrities have woken up to their names, trending on blog sites and news articles that weren’t about their work. From alleged Nudes later debunked to bedroom photos and actual sex tapes, here are seven Nigerian acts that have experienced the “naked in high school” nightmare in real life:
1. Wande Coal
In 2010, many months after the then mohits star released his debut album “Mushin to Mohits” and was making waves all over the country, pictures of a sleeping naked man bearing a striking resemblance to the artiste were leaked on Facebook and Twitter.
Wande coal eventually debunked the claims that he was the man in the picture, stating that it was photoshopped. Although the raucous caused by the scandal brought him some much needed international attention, the attack on his public image cannot be justified.
2. Chidinma Okeke
This particular scandal had undertones that suggested betrayal and exploitation. The then beauty queen, who was just freshly out of her teenage years and about to complete her tenure as Miss Anambra, woke up to find an explicit video of herself on the internet. The footage showed her engaged in sexual acts with another girl. Chidinma faced significant backlash and eventually, her title was revoked even though her tenure was almost over.
The twenty-year-old finally opened up about the role that the pageantry organizers had to play in the making and leaking of the tape, but a lot of irreversible damage was already done as Nigerians were more concerned with the implied lesbianism than the fact that a nineteen-year-old girl might have been exploited.
3. Davido
In the case of Nigeria’s beloved “Omo Baba Olowo”, the scandal involved pictures of him asleep in bed with women. In the two different leaked images, Davido was fast asleep as the women garnered proof to show the world that they had been with a star. Concerning one of these pictures, Davido stated that he didn’t know the girl and that she must have snuck into his room to take the shot due to the lax security conditions he was living in. The attitude of these women gives us clear insight into the loose grip that many Nigerians have on the issue of consent.
4. Tiwa Savage
This scandal is very recent and is still on the tongue of many fans and foes of the artiste. In October 2021, not long after Tiwa released her most recent album, “Water and Garri”, The Mavin record artiste opened up to Angie Martinez of Power 105.1FM, stating that she was being blackmailed over a sex tape of her and her partner.
The Afro-beats artiste said that she had decided to let the blackmailers go ahead and release the tape because she wouldn’t let them make money off her for engaging in something as natural as sex.
This stance, although very inspiring, didn’t deter the blackmailers, nor did it reduce the media backlash when the tape was released in that same month. The singer lost some of her endorsement deals, and Nigerians made sure to let her know how bad an example she was to her son
5. Oxlade
This is the newest episode of the scandal of celebrities and sex tapes, but this time, there is a noticeable lack of the outrage and judgement that often accompanies such releases. Instead, we see the “cruise” spirit that Nigerians have become famous for.
Many have praised the twenty-four-year-old “Away” crooner for his sexual prowess, while others made it their life’s mission to find and harass the girl he was with in the video. She has since threatened to sue the artiste because the video was recorded and shared without her consent.