LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Nollywood actor Daniel Etim Effiong has shared tragic details from his childhood, revealing how his father’s imprisonment and mother’s untimely death shaped his early life.
In a previous interview with Chude Jideonwo, the actor revealed that he was only one year old when his father, a soldier, was arrested during the military era of President Ibrahim Babangida.
He was accused of involvement in a coup and sentenced to death by firing squad. Although the sentence was later overturned, his father remained in prison until 1983, after the military leader left office.
Building on that revelation, Etim Effiong recently spoke on the Dear Life series hosted by Ifedayo Agoro, where he reflected on the emotional toll his family endured.
He described a childhood overshadowed by absence and loss, noting that he lost his mother at just four years old while his father was still behind bars.
The actor revealed that after his father’s imprisonment, his mother moved him and the family to her hometown in Benin.
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Despite the challenges, she continued to travel regularly to visit her husband in detention.
He explained that his father was eventually transferred to Kano prison due to a policy at the time that relocated inmates across regions.
As a result, his mother had to travel long distances between Benin and Kano every two weeks to see him.
Sadly, tragedy struck during one of those journeys. His mother was involved in a fatal accident while on the road, leaving the young Etim Effiong without either parent.
Recalling his final moment with her, the actor shared a heartbreaking memory. On the day she was leaving for one of her trips, he cried and pleaded to go along.
She picked him up briefly before handing him over to their nanny. That moment became their last goodbye.
Now a successful actor and a filmmaker, he stated that although his past was defined by hardship, it also gave him strength in the face of life’s challenges.