Top 7 Nigerian celebrities who have been to jail

It’s not just in the US that top celebrities have been jailed for various misdemeanors, even in Nigeria where the law seems to be selective, there have been handful of top Nigerian celebrities who at one time or the other have been a guest at some Nigeria’s notorious prisons.

Below is a list of nine popular celebrities who have been to prison:

Naira Marley

Azeez Adeshina Fashola is a Nigerian musician popularly known as Naira Marley who was arrested alongside four others for alleged money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The singer was arrested a day after his hit single “Am I a Yahoo boy” dropped online. He was slammed with 11- count charges.

After spending days inside Ikoyi Prison, Naira Marley was arraigned in court and granted bail for N2 million with two sureties in like sum. After his release, Marley, in a video which surfaced online said he’s been arrested 124 times in United Kingdom, where he grew up. He rose to fame in 2018 with the remix of ‘Issa goal’ which features Olamide, Falz, Simi and Lil kesh.

Ibinabo Fiberesima

Nollywood actress and ex-beauty pageant, Ibinabo Fiberesima was charged for manslaughter and reckless driving after she accidentally killed a certain Giwa Suraj in 2006. Giwa Suraj was a medical doctor at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital. She was arraigned in 2009.

On March 16, 2016, Ibinabo was sacked as President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and sentenced to a 5-year jail term by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos. She was however granted bail in the sum of N2 million and two sureties in like sum on April 7, 2016 by a Court of Appeal in Lagos pending the determination of her appeal at the Supreme Court.

Uche Odoputa

Award-winning Nollywood actor and television personality, Uche Odoputa was arrested with cocaine at the international airport in Lagos, in 2007. He was sentenced to eight months in prison. According to him, he wasn’t getting any substantial movie roles, and could not afford to feed or house himself and his family. Uche said he was open to the drug trafficking offer because he thought he could drastically change his living conditions.

He said his major regret was letting his family down and allowing his London friends take advantage of his situation by talking him into the act.

In an interview, he said, “The late Amake Igwe paid part of my legal fees, she was always in contact with me and never abandoned me.”

Lola Margaret

Nigerian actress, film producer and director, Lola Margaret was reportedly arrested in USA for wired fraud.

This report came shortly after Dammy Krane was arrested and detained in similar charges.

According to reports, the Yoruba actress had suspicious amounts of money wired into her bank account. She constantly withdrew the money thereby drawing the attention of detectives. The police took her in for further interrogations, with no official report on the alleged card fraud by the Atlanta police, but the actress’ mugshot surfaced online.

In 2018, she was released and deported back to Nigeria. Considering the gravity of her actions, the actress has decided to relocate to Ibadan from Lagos, maintaining a low profile. Lola Margaret’s career came into the limelight after she starred as the lead character in the movie, Bisola Alanu.

Skales

Nigerian rapper, Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, better known as Skales was arrested alongside his erstwhile manager Osagie, for defrauding his record label, Baseline Records in 2016. The duo were accused of also diverting the funds meant for the record label. According to Baseline, Skales and his manager were making funds that weren’t documented. The rapper was eventually freed but his manager spent longer time with the police before regaining her freedom.

Rabi Ismaila

Kano state-based Nollywood actress, Rabi Ismaila, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death for killing her boyfriend, Mr. Auwalu, in 2002. Shel was sentenced to death by hanging for culpable homicide by a High Court in Kano on January 5, 2005.

In July 2011, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence of the lower courts that sentenced her to death by hanging.

Rabi Ismail, also known as Rabi Cecilia, had lured Ibrahim to a picnic at Tiga Dam, where she poisoned him and pushed him into the dam. Rabi escaped from Hadejia Prison on December 16, 2011. She was later rearrested in 2017.

Wunmi

Taiwo Akinwande, popularly known as Yetunde Wunmi, is one of the most notable actresses in the Yoruba movie industry. Wunmi was arrested in October 2006 by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for cocaine trafficking. She was arrested on her way to London as she was about to board a Virgin Atlantic plane at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, when eagle-eyed NDLEA officials caught her.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Lagos sentenced her to three years imprisonment fer she admitted carrying out the act.

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