LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Nollywood star Toyin Abraham has finally responded to the controversy surrounding influencer Olawuni Oluwapelumi Abike, widely known as Abike Shuga, shifting attention to her side of the story while addressing claims linked to her 2023 movie, Malaika.
The spotlight is now firmly on Toyin Abraham following her public response to the growing online drama involving Abike Shuga, a rising influencer who previously featured in Malaika.
Initially choosing to stay quiet, the actress explained that her silence came from a place of care, describing Abike as someone she regarded like a daughter. However, after the online conversations and viral claims, she decided to share her perspective.
According to Toyin, their collaboration began via a conversation on social media platform X. She maintained that she has always treated her collaborators fairly and pushed back against suggestions of wrongdoing.
Addressing specific claims, Toyin stated that Abike was paid ₦500,000 for her role in Malaika and ₦50,000 for two scenes in Ijakumo. She clarified that the decision to remove scenes from Ijakumo was made by the film’s director, not her.
“I’ve made up my mind never to say anything cos I see her as daughter and I hope everyone remembers this whole thing started on Twitter while I paid for her machine, she was paid 500k for Malaika for an upcoming, nobody will pay such I beat my chest that I’m among those that will pay such, I won’t say anything may God bless everyone of us dadda pls Alakada Genz will start showing on Tuesday 21st April on Toyin Abraham tv on YouTube by 3pm,” she wrote, while urging fans to support her new movie.
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Meanwhile, Abike Shuga’s version of events painted a different picture. In a viral video, she alleged that tension began during the promotional phase of Malaika, particularly when Toyin supported Ada Omo Daddy by Mercy Aigbe despite both films being released around the same time.
Abike also claimed she faced backlash after posting promotional content associated with Funke Akindele.
She stated that Funke paid hourly rates in dollars and added that she had already expressed her willingness to take part. According to her, the situation escalated when she was allegedly asked to delete all Malaika-related posts and was subsequently blocked.
“I didn’t just decide to delete them on my own, she started raining curses on me and told me to delete them,” Abike said in the video.
She further alleged that she was unaware her scenes in Ijakumo had been removed despite being invited to the premiere, and compared her experience with what she described as more structured compensation from Funke Akindele’s team.
Meanwhile, Toyin Abraham has kept her focus on her work, subtly pointing to her recent success at the box office.
She lightheartedly revealed that her N1 billion milestone, has increased criticism for her every action.
“Ever since I made over 1B I never rest na like this, this level be,” she said with humour.
