Chidera Adiele seeks help for her brother after revealing his seven-year struggle with drug addiction and mental illness

Nollywood actress and art curator Chidera Adiele has appealed for help over her younger brother’s seven-year struggle with drug addiction and mental illness, revealing the emotional and financial challenges her family has faced while seeking treatment.

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Adiele made the appeal in a video shared on her Instagram page on Tuesday, where she narrated her brother’s journey from the period he gained admission into the University of Lagos in 2019 and began experiencing difficulties months into his first academic session in 2020.

The actress said her brother has received care at several psychiatric facilities over the years, including the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, and other private and public treatment centres in Lagos, Ogun, Benin and Abeokuta.

According to Adiele, her brother spent three months in the psychiatric ward at the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, before being discharged because the facility could not keep him indefinitely.

“He was in the psychiatric ward for three months and they recently asked me to come pick him up because they said they couldn’t keep him there indefinitely. The max they can keep a patient there is three months,” she said.

The actress said she later took her brother to a ministry known as Zion Ministry in search of spiritual support, but his condition reportedly became worse after he returned.

Adiele described herself as her brother’s primary caregiver and said she had carried much of the responsibility for his treatment since the situation began.

She explained that she moved away from her family home about five years ago to protect her daughter after noticing that her brother’s condition was affecting the child.

However, she said her family later returned to live with her after receiving a quit notice from their landlord.

“They’ve brought this drama back to me and worse is I have been his primary caregiver since all of this started. I’ve been the one taking him to all these hospitals,” she said.

The actress expressed frustration over the burden she has carried, saying she has spent extensively on treatment without achieving the long-term improvement she hoped for.

“I’m the first child. I’m tired. I’m so tired of carrying responsibilities that I had no business carrying,” Adiele said.

She also raised concerns about her daughter’s safety, explaining that her brother’s condition has created fear within the home.

Adiele said her brother had previously been found wandering the streets of Lagos unclothed, with members of the public contacting her after spotting him.

“My daughter sleeps in fear because they are still in my house at the moment. I’ve tried to help them get another apartment but apartments, houses are really crazy expensive,” she said.

The actress concluded her message with an emotional appeal for assistance, saying she had reached the limit of what she could do alone.

“I’ve done what I can do. I’ve carried him everywhere that I can carry him to… I’m tired. Please, I’m drowning. I need help,” she said.

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Her public appeal has renewed conversations around mental health support, access to long-term care and the pressures faced by families caring for relatives with serious mental health conditions.