Being in the limelight can make you feel like you’re bigger than life, no one is immune from the law. Sadiya Haruna, a Kannywood actress and social media star, was recently sentenced to prison for character defamation.
We’ve decided to capitalize on the struggling actress’s misfortune by compiling a list of female celebrities who have been imprisoned in the past.
Haruna Sadiya
For a multitude of reasons, Sadiya Haruna is well-known in Kannywood and among many northern Nigerian social media users. The controversial actress, who rose to prominence in the industry with her debut film “Bakon Lagos” in 2017, has been involved in a number of scandals, including being ordered by a Shariah court to attend an islamiyya school for six months as punishment for posting unacceptablely lewd and seductive dances on her social media accounts, as well as being barred from acting in Kannywood entirely in 2021. A Kano magistrate court recently sentenced her to six months in prison for defaming her ex-husband on social media, labeling him a lesbian and a pimp, among other things.
Ismaila Rabi
Rabi Ismaila, a Kannywood actress of 39 years, was sentenced to death in 2002 by a Kano High Court for the murder of her lover. The actress was charged by the court of bringing her boyfriend, Ibrahim, to a picnic at Tiga Dam in Kano, poisoning him with a chocolate bar, and shoving him into the dam. She later escaped from prison on December 16, 2011, but was apprehended by the Nigerian Prisons Service’s Intelligence Unit with the assistance of State Security Service agents. The actress, also known as Rabi Cecelia, was sentenced to a second prison term in 2017.
Fiberesima Ibinabo
Ibinabo is a former beauty queen and Nollywood actress who was accused with manslaughter and reckless driving in 2009 after accidentally killing a woman named Giwa Suraj in 2006. On March 16, 2016, a Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced her to five years in prison. On April 7, 2016, a Lagos Court of Appeal granted her bail in the amount of $2 million, with two $2 million sureties.
On February 26, 2006, Fiberesima was driving along the Lekki-Epe expressway when she lost control of her vehicle, veered into the incoming lane, and smashed into Suraj Giwa’s car, killing him. The deceased was a doctor at Lagos General Hospital.
Taiwo Akinwande
Taiwo Akinwande Hassanat, a popular Yoruba film actress, was sentenced to three years in prison or a one million naira fine by the Federal High Court in Lagos. It followed the actress’s admission of guilt in a drug trafficking case brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).