Nollywood actor Saidi Balogun has voiced his support for actress Toyin Abraham amid the backlash she received, stressing that freedom should not be selective and that celebrities deserve the same rights to protect their mental well-being as anyone else.
On July 10, 2024, Balogun took to his Instagram account to highlight the hypocrisy in the criticism faced by celebrities. He pointed out that while people are quick to use authorities to settle personal disputes, they criticize celebrities for similar actions. Balogun wrote, “You use police to arrest your neighbours for the most minor reasons; e reach celebrity turn, you say it’s bullying. Stop the emotional blackmail. Celebrities are humans, just like you. You are free to say what you like, right? Let celebrities be free to take whatever actions they want to protect their mental space. Freedom should not be selective. God bless.”
The actor’s comments come in response to the controversy surrounding Toyin Abraham, who was accused on social media of orchestrating the arrest of a social media user who defamed her. Abraham clarified that she did not arrest anyone; instead, she filed a petition with the police to address the defamation.
Abraham explained, “I’ve had it up to here because you people cursed my child, but I did not arrest anybody’s mother. I simply wrote a petition, and they said I should go to the cybercrime department, which I did, and I wrote a petition there. The only reason I didn’t put Anthony was because he didn’t defame me; he only insulted me and I insulted him too. The truth would come out soon.”
During an Instagram livestream, Abraham expressed her frustration with the constant public backlash. She stated, “I came online on social media to beg everybody to leave me the hell alone. As I am, I want to die. I am ready to die, but before I die, a lot of you bullies will die with me. You bullies have pushed me to the wall and I have gone insane. Now I want to die; I wish to die; I did not commit any crimes.”
Balogun’s support underscores the need for understanding and empathy towards celebrities facing mental health challenges due to public scrutiny and criticism.