Contradicting Reports on the Tade Ogidan Domestic Violence Incident

There were reports last week that one of the more respected and long-lasting movie directors in Nigeria, Tade Ogidan, had beaten up his wife, Yewande Ogidan, and left her face badly bruised. There were pictures to back up the news, with the allegation that wife battery had also contributed to the demise of his first marriage. Now, both Yewande and Tade Ogidan have responded to the reports, but their accounts of what really happened and where each was at the time of the incident differ wildly.


According to Tade Ogidan, he can never hit a woman, and his wife fell and hit her head on his office furniture in an altercation with him. As reported by Olu Famous, he said,

Anyone who knows me near well enough or even well enough will know that I CAN NEVER HIT A WOMAN. It just cant happen! If anyone ever upset me, I simply walk away or take a drive.
A friend of my woman whom they've been in rivalry from school days did that to mess her up. I only arrived to start to get a fairly clear gist of how this came to be. Yewande didn't post the document. In fact, she's been inconsolable since this publication. She is been crying endlessly. She is lost for what to do.

This is what happened:
Yewande is like a tomboy. She can play rough.
We were all in my office, the day after Children's day. I have been quite busy at work because of the reality show we are working on. That means I am not home everyday. Our major location is far along the Ajah axis; far from my home.

Yewande and the kids came to spend time with me in the office. When it was late, no NEPA, and the attempts to get the gen working [failed], she was ready to go home with the kids.

My little 5 year old girl was screaming that she didnt want to leave yet. Her mother insisted. The little girl ran into my office and shut the door to prevent her mom from taking her. I told Yewande to give her time. You know how mothers can be with their kids.

She insisted that they should leave as she didnt want to drive late. I blocked the door so she can give the girl a reprieve. She was playfully pulling me off the door. She does things like that all the time. She lost her grip and staggered into that three seater wrought iron chair in the open office. She obviously hit the ridge of her nose on the steel arm of that chair. The cut was managed.

She models and had obviously taken a photo of her face, for posterity (something to laugh at another time). One of her old school friends, with whom she's had rivalry from school days, stole the photo from another friend of hers and went viral with that damaging story. The obvious intention is to mess her up.

Sadly, one is caught in the firing line. This has created such a stress for her, our family, my workers, my friends, and most especially me.  You can imagine me having to spend time to explain this to everyone who knows me and finds this strange! Painfully for me, there are just so many people that I can attempt to explain this to.

She was quite worried that she's been running all over to ask how to manage this. Before I got back from the trip, she gave an explanation to another friend of hers to publish on the site that first sent out the false story.

Everybody is trying to manage her, so she wont affect her health from the outcome of this. That is what happened. I HAVE NEVER HIT A WOMAN, AND I JUST CANT. I counsel people who have issues and they respect me greatly for the wisdom I bring to the table. People in and outside this society hold me in high regard. I am ALWAYS mindful of anything I do anywhere.

However, what his wife, Yewande Ogidan said to Stella Dimorkokus is completely different. According to her, Tade was in the UK when she had a slight car accident in Lagos and bashed her head into the steering wheel. In her words,

I Had an accident with my honda three weeks ago but i am fine now, it was minor. I hit my head on the steering wheel when a mini van hit my car from behind.my husband is even in the UK right now and he did not abuse me in any way. I am not defending him, if anyone has done anything to me, I will speak out. I am very well aware of domestic violence and I urge you to go on with your campaign against it but i was not assaulted by my loving husband - I was taking my kids to school and there was a gallop and a mini van hit me from behind,it was my fault because I didn't have my seat belt on. Tade ogidan cannot hurt a fly, I am not defending him but that's how he is. My Tade would never hit a woman, he is far older than me and he treats me like a baby''.

One can only decide to believe what they will. All I will say is, I hope she and her children are OK.