The 'Ignore It’ mentality of domestic violence in Nigerian celebrity circles

Domestic violence in Nigeria more or less is slept under the floor. The victim most times is told to endure it, and the society ignores the bruises and beatings.

A good example of this is how people scolded upcoming actress

“Some people arent thinking right sha.... u got beaten and u posted pics online,brothers nd sisters fight. bla bla bla... its a family issue not a social media thing,u are blowing tins out of proportion!!! oh really? i dont see it that way am sorry. its because of dumb silences we have so many manics roaming the streets causing harm to other peoples kids. Violence starts in a day but the way u handle it determines if it stops. if i had died,it wld av been a differnt story circulating based on family coding and some1 elses daughter becomes the next victim. this is my own way of discipline. disgrace him openly nd let him know its unacceptable. at least i didnt get him arrested nd i ddnt give up his identity and detailed info on what led to the brutal attack cos its all based on parental favoritism and religious fanaticism. if disgracing myslf and my family by speaking out against this will make my brother a better man and save a life in future and also create awareness against sibling abuse which has led to grievous regrettable circumstances in most homes then am not sorry” wrote the actress in her defense.

This mentality of sweeping it under the rug is what prevails in Nigeria’s celebrity circles. There have been numerous stories of Nigerian male celebrities beating up their spouses with incriminating evidence yet nothing was done about it.

Years ago K Solo was accused by his wife of domestic violence with photos to support her claims. After the initial raising of dust nothing was done. No investigation from the police and no backlash from the music community. Today K Solo is still making beats and has not been taken to task for what happened in his marriage.

Nigerian rap veteran Zaaki Azzay was reported to be in a violent marriage. His wife made claims that she was regularly battered by the rapper. Nothing has been done these claims till today.

This attitude towards domestic violence is in contrast to what we have in other parts of the world. Chris Brown was treated like a pariah after beating up Rihanna. Even in the case of rape, celebrities have stayed away from Bill Cosby over rape charges.

We as a society and celebrities included need to start taking domestic violence issues very seriously. Investigations must be made and questions must be asked.

Celebrities need to do more than share posters of domestic violence on their Instagram pages. Active measures need to be taken beyond hashtags and reposts.