2021 is far from over but September has already made history as the month with the highest number of scandals in the Nigerian entertainment industry, so far.

Literally, every other day in September, a fresh scandal broke just as some were brewing.

Nigerians say it was indeed a ‘September to remember’ in Nigeria’s entertainment industry and we could not agree more.

Last month witnessed a series of drama, clashes, and conflicts amongst Nigerian celebrities with stories of their personal lives, relationships, businesses, and family making headlines on a daily basis.

It also raised several concerns on pertinent issues ranging from trust, family, friendship, competition, loyalty, and love. But if there was one Nigerian celebrity who courted controversies all month long, it had to be Tonto Dikeh and her estranged boo, Prince Kpokpogri.

The latter was thrust into the limelight after Ms Dikeh unveiled him on the occasion of his birthday on June 27 on her official Instagram page. The short-lived and tumultuous affair came crashing like a pack of badly stacked cards in September amidst messy scandals.

As we welcome October, we revisit some of the hottest scandals which kept the media busy and fans entertained in September.

1.Tonto Dikeh versus Prince Kpokpogri

Controversial Nollywood star, Tonto Dikeh, and her ex-lover, Prince Kpokpogri, dominated the news headlines all through September even though they officially parted ways in July.

Mr Kpokpogri, who is also the chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, described his ex-lover as “Helen of Troy” and claimed their short-lived affair was tumultuous.

“We dated for barely three months and it was more or less a living hell! So much has happened in such little time that I overlooked it for the sake of the so-called relationship and my sanity,’’ Mr Kpokpogri said while reacting to the news of their break-up.

Mr Kpokpogri was thrust into the limelight after Ms Dikeh unveiled him on the occasion of his birthday on 27 June on her official Instagram page. The once happy relationship crashed after a viral voice note and a phone call between Mr Kpokpogri and a socialite was leaked online by a notorious Instagram gossip blogger. Ever since then, the once admirable couple have been locked in a war of words on Instagram.

In the thick of their blossoming romance, Ms Dikeh’s fans pleaded with her to take their affair off Instagram and celebrate each other privately. Their pleas fell on deaf ears as Ms Dikeh took the open display of affection on Instagram a notch higher while her fans wished the affair could stand the test of time but little did they know that they would become sworn enemies in no time.

In a petition against Mr Kpokpogri dated September 6 and addressed to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Dikeh through her counsels in Festus Keyamo Chambers, Okechukwu Uju-Azorji, and Arinze Egbo made several shocking revelations.

She accused him of blackmail, extortion, a threat to life, hacking, obtaining by false pretence and cyberstalking, and other unprintable allegations.

Mr Kpokpogri hit back at his ex-lover accusing her of infidelity and drug addiction. The Nigerian gossip mill went into overdrive with reports that the DSS had arrested Mr Kpokpogri but he would later debunk the report and in a matter of days, filed a petition against Ms Dikeh, requesting N10 billion compensation.

2. Jane Emena’s alleged sex tape

It was Tonto Dikeh who revealed that her ex-boyfriend had the sex tapes and nude photos of a famous Instagram dancer, Jane Emena, and other Nigerian celebrities and politicians on his smartphone.

Orezinena Jane, 28, is married to her long-time lover, Andre Plies.

Mr Kpokpogri clarified saying that he’s only but a family friend to Mena, whom he said is an Isoko woman. He also said the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, must conduct some tests on Ms Dikeh.

“Is Janemena my friend? Yes! Beyond going to her shop opening years back, our relationship has only been on the phone. We have been family friends for years and the husband is someone that’s close to me.

“It is a taboo where I come from to sleep with a married woman even though I am still single, worst of all, with a married Isoko lady, who will pay the ultimate price if she does that.

“Don’t drag her and any other name in your imagination into our ship that has long sunk. I’ve lived and living a clean life. No amount of blackmail can pull me down.

Ms Dikeh’s strong allegation sparked several reactions from fans, especially because Ms Dikeh alleged that Mr Kpokpogri built a store for Emena in Delta State.

3. 2baba Idibia and wife, Annie

Trouble surfaced in the union between superstar singer, Innocent Idibia aka 2baba, and his wife Annie Macaulay in September.

Trouble began after Ms Macaulay openly accused her husband, of sharing the same house with his baby mama, Pero Adeniyi.

In a now-deleted Instagram Story post, she claimed that the singer ‘‘slept under the same roof’’ with Ms Adeniyi and the children (Ms Adeniyi bore him) when they vacationed in Disneyland, U.S.

Ms Adeniyi, 43, who is based in the U.S., is the daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman, Jide Adeniyi.

Also known as 2baba, Mr Idibia fathered three children with Ms Adeniyi while Sumbo Ajaba and Ms Macaulay bore two children each.

Prior to their ‘public’ reconciliation at the Crescendo Lounge in Ikeja, Lagos, in November 2018, Ms Adeniyi and Ms Macaulay, were erstwhile sworn enemies. 2Baba wept uncontrollably when the reconciliation happened.

Ms Macaulay accused 2baba of cheating on her with his first baby mama, Pero Adeniyi, alleging that his family has been unkind to her.

September 2021 came with thorns, as Ms Macaulay revealed how badly she had been treated by her husband’s family.

4. 2baba in-laws at war

The trouble in 2baba’s house persisted.

Just some minutes after the callout, 2baba’s younger brother, Charles, waded into the matter.

Accusing his brother’s wife of drug addiction, Charles noted that she must have taken the wrong drugs from her ‘dealer’ to have come online to talk in that manner, of her husband.

It was Ms Macaulay who began the episode when she accused her husband of infidelity and brought her marital woes to the public arena.

Charles did not stop there.

He alleged that Ms Macaulay and her mum are engaged in diabolical measures just “to keep being in 2baba’s life.” He even alluded that the singer was dying slowly and also very unhappy.

Meanwhile, Ms Macaulay quickly responded and reminded her younger brother-in-law of his perpetual dependence on 2baba; hence the reason for her husband’s unhappiness.

5. Nedu Wazobia FM and his ex-wife Uzoamaka Ohiri

September did not leave out Uzoamaka Ohiri, the ex-wife of the popular On-air personality Chinedu Ani known as Nedu Wazobia.

Ms Ohiri, who had earlier accused her husband of domestic violence, said that she wasn’t aware of the paternity of their first child until a DNA test was conducted.

She accused Nedu of battering her a few weeks after she was delivered of their child by a Cesarean section.

Nedu would later respond to her claims saying their marriage was plagued with a lot of issues.

The radio personality and Instagram skit maker, said, ‘‘The continuous infidelity from her side made me conduct a paternity test on our kids which led to the revelation that our first son is not my biological son’’.

Explaining the origin of the DNA scandal during her interview with Goldmyne, Ms Ohiri, said “I was seeing someone before Nedu, he was on the side disturbing me, he had invited me a couple of times. I turned him down. After the relationship ended, Nedu and I met up.

“Along the line, I found out that I was pregnant. Trust me, if I knew that my first child was not for him, I wouldn’t have married him. I can’t deliberately pick another man’s child and give it to another man. If I knew, I wouldn’t have gotten married to him. On my wedding day, I was pregnant, everybody saw it.”

To substantiate his claims, he also posted a copy of the DNA test which was conducted by a forensic laboratory, Viaguard Accu-metrics, located in Toronto Canada.

Nedu claimed his marriage has been dissolved but his estranged wife has said otherwise and has challenged him to produce the divorce papers since they separated four years ago.

The police would later caution Ms Ohiri allegedly warned her against making comments about Nedu on social media and the kids were handed over to Nedu.

6 BBNaija Boma Versus Tega

The Big Brother Naija ‘Shine Ya Eye’ edition witnessed several evictions and drama since it began on July 24.

Tega and Boma’s alleged amorous affair was one that took the housemates and viewers by surprise.

Tega, 29, a married mum-of-one was a fan-favorite, at least from the onset. Goodlooking, neat, homely, and fun-loving, she cut the picture of what the ideal married woman in the BBNaija house should look like.

34-year-old Boma, on the other hand, described himself as “sexy, intelligent, adventurous, strong and fit”, and considered himself “extraordinary”.

Prior to BBNaija, he has a budding acting career in the U.S. and was popular for his cameo appearance in the ‘Blacklist’ series. To make ends meet, he said he worked as a bartender by night, and a masseuse by day.

On the first day of September, viewers of the most popular reality show were amazed to see a viral video of Tega Boma were seen intimately and passionately kissing during the lights out. There were visible hand movements as Tega slid into the duvet.

This got fans talking.

But Boma later apologised to Nigerians for his actions in the house via his Twitter account. Tega on the other said she and Boma were only acting out a script to entertain viewers. By September 7, Tega said, as she broke down in tears, ‘‘Nigerians please forgive me. I’m sorry for my actions.’’

7. Bobrisky and Mompha versus Oye Kyme

For Bobrisky, September was brutal as his former personal assistant, Oyemyke brought some of his dirty secrets to the limelight.

She said Bobrisky allegedly had a sexual relationship with popular a Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Ismail Mustapha aka Mompha.

Bobrisky invited Kyme over to Nigeria to become his PA after she tattooed him on her body. However, their work relationship ended on a sour note and Kyme took to Instagram to answer questions about her former boss.

During the Q & A, Kyme made a number of allegations but what struck Instagram users the most is her claim that Mompha dated Bobrisky.

Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky was born a man but transformed into a crossdresser and identifies himself as a woman.

However, in a joint Instagram live session held by popular radio presenter Daddy Freeze in a call with both parties, requested that Bobrisky `Clear Mompha in the matter.” In response, Bobrisky said, he is just friends with Mompha and even Mompha’s wife can confirm their friendship.

8.Bobrisky versus Gistlover Blog

The notorious Nigerian gossip blog, Gistlover, came really prepared to mess things up for some Nigerian celebrities last month. The gossip blogger dragged Bobrisky on social media accusing him of scamming businesses by showing off fake screenshots of his supposed account balance on the internet.

The blogger claimed that Bobrisky’s skin has been seriously damaged and that most of the pictures he posts on social media are heavily filtered.

Gistloversblog also alleged that Bobrisky deceives brands and businesses with fake bank account balances in order to appear credible to them. Bobrisky fought back and dared the blogger to expose his real identity and face him with his ‘full chest’.

The blogger posted Bobrisky’s real phone number, this got fans super excited, as they were given the opportunity to call him up at will. In revenge, Bobrisky posted the real phone number of the anonymous blogger.

9.Zubby Micheal versus Chizzy Alichi

Nollywood actor Zubby Micheal, popular as ‘Eze ndi Ara’ was engaged in a war of words on social media with his female colleague Chizzy Alichi, over Sola Sobowale in the movie ‘King of Boy’.

Trouble started after he criticised the much-talked-about movie ‘ King of Boys’, saying that a woman can never be king of boys.

Responding to the post, Alichi said a woman could be anything and whatever she wants to be and what a man can do, a woman can do better, adding that the movie has her vote. Displeased with the response, Micheal blasted his colleague and described her as a local girl who always imitates the western world.

He hurled insults at his colleague, stating he does not have her time but will talk to her husband.

The actress felt slighted and slammed him saying he lacked home training, but she would talk to his mother to teach him manners.

She said: I said what I said without insult but because your mama no train you well, you decided to insult yourself. I will talk to your mother not you my darling so she can teach you manners, local dog.”

10.Lanre Teriba versus baby mama

The Nigerian gospel industry was not left out in this set of scandals as Yoruba gospel singer, Lanre Teriba, was called out by his baby mama over his alleged refusal to pay his child’s school fees.

This violence sprung up just a few days to the end of September when his baby mama spilled the beans after several attempts by social welfare officers to call the gospel artiste to order.

She attacked Mr Teriba and called him a broke man for refusing to take responsibility for his children, especially their school fees saying his primary responsibility is to splash millions on cars and several women.

In addition, she said Mr Teriba blatantly lied that he was divorced from his first wife. She also claimed he begged for her heart for a year and six months before she agreed to date him.

11. Funke Akindele vs Toyin Abraham (Omo Ghetto vs The Ghost and Tout)

Actress Iyabo Ojo took a swipe at her colleague Funke Akindele for allegedly paying a review platform to discredit a new movie by Toyin Abraham. It was messy.

Ojo claimed her colleague, Ms Akindele paid a film critic blog, Cinema Pointer, to tarnish Abraham’s new movie while elevating hers.

Ms Abraham would finally address the perceived rift with her colleague.

In a recent radio chat, Ms Abraham said she has nothing against Ms Akindele as they are colleagues with no grudges against each other.

12.Gentle Jack versus prostitute

In the same month, a prostitute, Brenda Bosslady, accused a Nollywood actor, Gentle Jack, of failing to pay her for services rendered.

She called him out in a lengthy video she posted on Instagram.

The actor, on the other hand, denied the allegation, accusing the lady of clout chasing. He also said he had nothing to do with the lady, who is out to tarnish his image.