Actress Sarah Martins recounts how a man insulted her for giving his wife a ride during flooding

• Nollywood actress Sarah Martins recounted an encounter where she offered a lift to a female neighbour struggling through deep floodwater outside her estate, only to be met with aggressive verbal abuse from the woman's husband, who was walking further behind.

• Despite Martin stopping the car to apologise and offering to give the husband a lift as well, the man insulted both women and walked away, prompting Martin to question whether his anger stemmed from jealousy, insecurity, or chauvinism.

• Expressing shock at the man's behaviour, the actress warned women to be highly selective about who they marry, advising them to avoid "violent sadists" and stating that it is far better to remain single than to marry a partner who acts like an enemy.

Narrating the incident in a video shared on her Instagram page, Martins explained that she spotted a woman she recognised from her estate struggling through floodwater while waiting for transportation.

She said, “I was driving out of my estate today, and I ran into somebody I usually see at the estate. There was so much flood, and she was inside the water waiting for a cab or something.

As I was driving past, I asked her to join my car so I could drop her off. I didn’t know she was actually trekking inside that flood with her husband. Her husband was far behind her. So she entered my car and next thing, I saw a man pointing at her, shouting, ‘You must be mad, you must be crazy. Why you go leave for inside this water enter moto? You are an idiot. God go punish you.’

I was like, ‘Who is he?’ She now said he’s her husband. I drove close to where the man was and stopped to apologise. I told him I saw her inside the flood and decided to carry her to where the road was dry. I even asked him to join the car so I could drop both of them off. He looked at me from head to toe, insulted us and walked away.”

Expressing disbelief over the incident, the actress questioned what could have provoked the man's reaction.

She said, “My question is, was he angry that his wife entered a car and left him inside the flood? Or was he angry that his wife actually found favour? Or was he angry that it was a woman driving the car? I don’t understand. You see why I said don’t date or marry low.

It is not even about marrying a big man or a poor person. A rich man can be a very violent sadist and a poor man can even be worse because nobody is angrier than a poor man. So stop marrying out of pity. It’s better to die single than marry an enemy that will kill you at home.”

The 2026 rainy season has been particularly challenging for Lagosians, who are facing an unprecedented level of flooding across the city. While the state government has blamed blocked canals and indiscriminate waste disposal for increased flooding, the citizens have knocked the state officials for their failure to create an effective waste disposal system and check the activities of real estate developers sand filling water ways to build properties.

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