By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
Olajumoke Orisaguna, a Nigerian model formerly known as Olajumoke Onibread, has spoken out about the traumatic experiences she endured during her marriage to Sunday Orisaguna.
In a recent interview with City FM, Olajumoke accused her ex-husband of physical and emotional assault, which she believes ultimately ruined her career.
Olajumoke described the hostile environment she lived in while residing in her husband’s family house in Ire, Osun State. She stated, “We stayed in my husband’s family house at Ire in Osun State and there is no way you stay in such a place that you would not encounter problems.”
She recounted how her mother-in-law’s behavior contributed to the abuse. Olajumoke said, My mother in-law was very hostile towards me and I would have to close my hairdressing shop on time just to go and make dinner at home.” She explained that whenever she disagreed with her mother-in-law, her ex-husband would beat her severely, sometimes using a belt, without hearing her side of the story. Olajumoke added, “Whenever I had misunderstanding with his mother, he would beat me to the extent that my face and body would be swollen.”
Olajumoke revealed that she suffered in silence, hiding the abuse from her own mother, who lived nearby. She said, “Only those who lived with us knew about the beating. I didn’t tell anyone.”
Olajumoke’s mother had not blessed the marriage, and her aunt had warned her against marrying Sunday. Olajumoke explained, “Before if I report to her, she will say she didn’t give me out in marriage to anyone. Even my mom’s sister was against me marrying him, as she had lived longer in Ire than me, so she knew what she was saying.”
Olajumoke eventually found the courage to leave her abusive marriage in January 2016. She packed her bags, took her two children, and moved to Lagos to start a new life. She had planned to work at a bakery, where she had previously worked. She said, “Fast forward to January 2016 when I wanted to move to Lagos, we were frying akara for his dad’s remembrance when I had an issue with his elder sister. As usual, he beat me up and I decided that I was going to leave.”
Olajumoke revealed that she had been the primary breadwinner in the family, as her ex-husband was unemployed. She stated, “I was enduring all of it. He didn’t have a job. I was the one going out to hustle.”
Olajumoke claimed that her ex-husband continued to sabotage her even after their separation. She stated that he began tarnishing her reputation, which affected her life and career. Olajumoke said, “Everything started going down the drain after separation because he started spoiling my name. Since then, things started going down.”
