Nigerian actress and on-air personality, Omotunde Adebowale-David, popularly known as Lolo 1, has bravely shared her painful experience of being sexually assaulted by a fellow broadcaster.
Speaking during an episode of the Say My Piece podcast, which she co-hosts, Lolo revealed that she was raped by a male colleague in the broadcasting industry an incident that left her emotionally scarred.
Although she refrained from sharing full details of the traumatic event, Lolo explained that her hesitation stems from the fear of being judged for not coming forward earlier.
Her candid revelation has sparked conversations online, with many applauding her courage and calling for greater accountability and protection within the media industry.
She said: “I hardly ever say this, and I am not even ready to tell the full story. The stories of sexual assault. When I discussed it with my daughter yesterday, she held my hand and said, ‘Mummy, you’ve gone through so much.’ And I said I had.
“I remember how many of those things I have to relive. I have been raped only once in my life, and I was raped by a colleague. I see him every other day. Do you know how traumatised I am? When I see him, I just get into this momentary panic.
“But if a woman of my calibre named him, he’s an established person in the broadcast industry, won’t people say, ‘How come I didn’t speak about it for all these six years until now that he’s taking a prominent TV position?’
“When sexual assault happens to women, the first thing to happen is denial. The next thing is self-blaming.”