A Nollywood veteran, Sola Sobowale, has given light on the rumour surrounding her purported arrest for drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia.
The 58-year-old actress said that many unfavourable things were made about her when she moved from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, including rumours that she had been murdered in the Gulf state.
Sobowale made these comments on Tuesday during a live conversation on the “Teju Baby Face Show.”
“God has compensated me because there were so many things written about me when I left the shores of Nigeria – so many negative things,” Sobowale said.
She, however, said the negative reports did not bother her, saying, “So far I’m at peace with God, then I’m good.
“Remember, when I was in the UK doing my thing, they wrote a lot of things in Nigerian newspapers – from grace to grass.”
She equally recalled how her name was dragged in the mud as reports had it that she was selling food in a London restaurant owned by her elder sister, Kike Oyelami.
“So, I go there anytime I’m off work. I make eba, pound yam and help my sister to serve food. They saw me. They wrote ‘Sola Sobowale now sells eba,” she chuckled.
The Nollywood veteran, who is well-known for her adaptability in film roles, continued by saying that there were rumours circulating that she was a London restaurant cleaner.
She explained that even though she had run Sola’s Kitchen, a restaurant in Nigeria, before deciding to pursue a career in acting, she wasn’t offended by those remarks.
The actress claimed that several newspapers had falsely claimed that she had been murdered in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking, which was the worst falsehood ever.
She said sarcastically, “They killed me in Saudi Arabia that I carried cocaine. They got me arrested and there, they amputated my leg, my hand, and I said to them that I’m a star in Nigeria. And because of that, I said they should kill me and they did.”
The actress, who acted in the film “King of Boys,” directed by Kemi Adetiba, stated that she disproved the tale as soon as she got to Nigeria and added that she had no idea where Saudi Arabia was on a map.
Recalling how her parents had taken care of her and her brothers, Sobowale also emphasised the need of parents making time to attend to their children’s needs.
She acknowledged that her strong belief in providing her wards with appropriate instruction was influenced by her parents’ exemplary example.
The veteran actress affirmed that she gave up her career for her children, saying, “I gave it up. I didn’t even think of getting anything back,” noting that a time would come when she’d have to care for her children.
