Nollywood actress Laide Bakare has explained why she ended her second marriage, citing restrictions on her acting career and limited personal freedom.
In a recent interview on Oyinmomo TV, the actress recalled that her former husband stopped her from working in the film industry shortly after they got married.
According to Laide, her family had initially asked him whether the marriage would affect her acting career, but he assured them that it would not.
She said his position changed after the wedding, when he told her she could no longer act or visit movie locations.
The actress also alleged that he threatened to station security personnel at the entrance of their home to prevent her from going out without his knowledge.
“When the marriage continued, my family asked him if the marriage was not going to affect my career as an actress. He was like ‘if I miss her, I would go and meet her at the film location’. But immediately I got into the marriage, he said I could not continue acting,” she said.
“He said I could longer work in the film industry, I could not go to locations. In fact, he said he would station security men at the gate so that before I got to the gate, an alarm would go off. I was patient for about four to five years because my children were still little.”
Laide said her inability to earn a substantial income and the restrictions on her freedom eventually influenced her decision to leave the marriage.
She explained that she initially remained in the relationship because her family had stressed the importance of making the marriage work, despite her feeling unable to pursue her ambitions.
“What made me leave finally and was my main problem was that I was not financially independent and my freedom was limited. Then I was blocked from making substantial amounts of money. I initially endured because my family had told me that my marriage must be successful,” she said.
“It felt like I had a dream and vision but I could not forge ahead. It would have even been manageable if it was a monogamous family but he had plenty wives and children.”
The 46-year-old actress was previously married to Olumide Okunfulure, an American-based businessman from Ondo State. Their union produced a daughter, Simi, before it ended.
She also has two sons with her second husband, Mutairu Orilowo.
Recently, Laide called out Orilowo over an ongoing custody dispute, alleging that his wife was maltreating their two sons.