By Oyinlola Awonuga Balogun (The New Diplomat’s Entertainment, Fashion and Sports Desk)
Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, has narrated her rape ordeal, telling the horrific story of how she was brutally raped five times by five different men while growing up.
Iyabo Ojo joined many female celebrities to speak about the extremely difficult and painful experience with calls from prominent figures against rape.
The movie star narrated her story in a recent episode of Bare it all with I Y said that she did not report the case because it was a taboo to be raped at the time.
“I know a lot of ladies who have been through what I have been through. I feel it is time for me to talk to them and make them understand that it is okay to talk about it. To let them know that it is not okay to be in the situation,” the mother of two said.
“Like I said, yes I have been raped before. Not once but five times. And trust me when I say it wasn’t easy. The first time I was raped, I was 14. It happened at my aunty’s house (not a family member). I didn’t want to talk about it because it was taboo to talk about it. I felt I would be blamed for everything that happened.”
The actress said that when the second incident took place, she ran away from home and still didn’t find the courage to tell anyone except her friend.
“And the second one, that was another terrible one that happened. And I still could not tell anybody in my family. I summoned a bit of courage to tell a friend of mine then and it was one of the reasons I ran away at a particular time. The whole family was looking for me and when they eventually found me, I still didn’t talk about it.
“Now, the third one, the guy was a neighbour. We were very close to each other. My dad’s house and his house were the second or third street away in the same neighbourhood. He was a friend to my first boyfriend, though he was much older than him.
“I never knew that he had such an intention. I grew up in the Obanikoro area of Lagos. I moved to Ikeja to stay with my aunty. However, I went to Obanikoro sometimes to check on my grandmother, dad, and boyfriend. On my way from Obanikoro going home, I was at the bus stop waiting for a taxi, then his car drove past me and he stopped.”
She continued: “We exchanged pleasantries. He asked me where I was going. I told him that I was going to Ikeja and he offered to drop me off. He said he had moved to Ikeja. When we got to Ikeja, he told me he lives in Toyin Street. I told him I know the street very well because I lived in Balogun Bus Stop in Ikeja. He said he should show me his house so that I could visit whenever I feel like it.
“I continued struggling and wrestling with him so he dragged me out of the room because he didn’t want me to shout and gave me a dirty slap. I hit my head on the wall. I was a bit dizzy trying to find my feet and he went into the kitchen to get the knife. When he got the knife, his eyes went red and his face changed.
“Right now, I can talk about it. So, after the kissing, he said he loved me and I told him that I loved him too. He went to drop me off at my bus stop. While walking down home, I could remember that I was just calm. I had no feelings or emotions. I got home and luckily my aunty wasn’t around. I just went straight upstairs and climbed into the bathtub and just started crying.
Iyabo Ojo added that she decided to share her story at such a time to give hope and strength to other victims.
“I cried my heart out. Then I pondered about telling my ex-boyfriend. My ex-boyfriend was a bad boy and I wouldn’t say I liked all the bad things he did. So I decided not to tell him because they might kill or do something terrible to him if I did. I didn’t want that because I didn’t want blood on my hands,” she added.
“I don’t know if what I did was right or wrong. So, the only way not to tell him was to break up with him. Then the other one happened after I got married to my husband and had my kids, then we moved to Ikeja. I was raped by one of the armed robbers who came to our house. It’s not easy to talk about rape. No matter how much you talk about it, you have to realise that it is painful, but you are not alone.”
