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She must be obeyed: Funke Akindele, JJC gets N300m lawsuit

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Nollywood Actress Funke Akindele and Music Executive JJC Skillz have been slammed a N300 million lawsuit for alleged copyright infringement of Singer Ewa Cole’s songs in the movie “She Must Be Obeyed.”

Recall that Funke and her ex-husband co-directed the movie, which was produced by SceneOne Entertainment.

Ewa Cole, through her attorney Adewale Williams, however, approached a Federal High Court of Lagos, alleging that she own “Opoor” and “Bhad Garl,” which were used in the movie.

Defendants in the action include Tony Ugiagbe (Topage), Waje, Veeiye, Amazon Web Services Nigeria Ltd. (BoomPlay), Amazon Web Services Inc., and Apple Inc.

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Ewa Cole claimed that after Topage, the song producer, told her that her songs were rejected, Waje and Veeiye copied “Bhad Gyal” and “Opoor.”

She alleged that no credit was given to her and that the songs were copied without “permission or approval.”

The petition read partly, “Sometime in June 2021, Our Client was contacted by one Mr Fony a.k.a Tony Age to produce soundtracks for the movie “She Must Be Obeyed” series being produced by Scene One production, Funke Akindele and her crew at that material time. The movie starred several celebrities like Veeiye (as Tito); Waje (as X-cite)}; Shaffy Belfo as Iya Siyanbola, amongst others.

“Our brief revealed that after writing and recording the two songs, ‘Bhad Gyal’ and ‘OPOOR’ in a music studio with the aid of Mr. Tony a.k.a Tony Age (who was working with the ‘She Muse Be Obeyed’ crew as that time), she handed over the tracks to him with the understanding that Funke Akindele and her crew will reach out to her for payments and recognition.

“After weeks of waiting, Our Client received the sad news that her songs had been rejected and would no longer be deployed in the production of the series only for Our Client to shockingly discover thereafter that she has been lied to and scammed, and that her songs were REPRODUCED by Waje and Veeiye and deployed for the production of the said movie without Our Client’s permission or approval or any credit to her. The ‘Bhad Gyal’ song was mimed by Waje while on stage in the movie, whilst the OPOOR song ran through the background of the entirety of the series.

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“The ‘She Must Be Obeyed’ series released in September 2023 and premiered by Amazon Prime Video is now been watched around the globe and generating several revenues for Amazon, Apple Music, BoomPlay, Funke Akindele, and her crew without even the least recognition of Our Client as the author of those songs.”

In addition, Ewa Cole demands N300 million in damages for what she claims to be labor infringement.

She requested that the defendants be barred from copyrighting, performing, or redistributing her musical compositions forever by a permanent injunction from the court.

In addition, she begged the court to grant the defendants a 45 percent cut of all earnings from the use, performance, duplication, and sale of the two songs

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Entertainment

Lizzy Anjorin Questions Court Order Over Priscilla Ojo’s Son

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Nollywood actress Lizzy Anjorin has questioned the authenticity of an interim order issued by the Lagos State High Court on 2 September 2026, restraining her from publishing photographs of Priscilla Ojo’s one-year-old son, Rakeem Mkambala, and from posting editorials concerning the family on specified social media platforms.

Anjorin raised the issue during an Instagram Live session on Friday, 4 September, after Priscilla shared a copy of the court order online.

The actress argued that publicising court documents before formally serving the respondent undermines the case.

“Your case na dead on arrival. If you post court letter on any platform before serving person wey you wan go serve, that court case na fake court case,” Anjorin said during the live session.

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Her comments came shortly after the High Court of Lagos State granted an ex parte application brought by Priscilla, her husband, Tanzanian singer Juma Mussa Mkambala, and their son, Rakeem.

Justice Yetunde Adesanya issued the interim order in Suit No. LD/ADR/6646/2026.

The order restrains Anjorin, as well as people acting under her authority, from publishing, posting, circulating, uploading or broadcasting photographs of Rakeem on specified social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok.

The court also directed Anjorin to cease publishing or broadcasting editorials concerning the applicants on the platforms covered by the order.

An ex parte order is made at an interim stage without the respondent being heard. The order is therefore not a final determination of the dispute and remains subject to further proceedings.

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Priscilla shared the certified copy of the order on her Instagram Story on Friday, bringing the legal development into public view.

Anjorin’s reaction centres on the timing and manner in which the court documents were publicised. Her assertion that such publication makes a case “fake” is her own claim and is not a finding contained in the court order.

The development marks another chapter in the prolonged public dispute between Anjorin and Priscilla’s family, particularly Priscilla’s mother, actress Iyabo Ojo.

The disagreement has played out largely on social media and has previously resulted in legal action, including a ₦1 billion defamation suit filed by Iyabo Ojo against Anjorin.

In recent weeks, the dispute has also drawn Priscilla and her young son into the controversy, following public comments by Anjorin concerning the family.

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BBNaija Kess Says Big Brother Makes Life Harder

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Kesiena Tony Adjekpovu, popularly known as Kess, has said that participating in Big Brother Naija can make life harder, offering a candid reflection on the challenges that may come with the reality television experience.

The former Big Brother Naija housemate made the comment in a statement shared on social media, where he suggested that winning or simply taking part in the reality show does not necessarily make life easier after leaving the house.

“Big Brother makes your life harder,” Kess said.

The remark has drawn attention because life after reality television can bring a different set of expectations, particularly as former housemates adjust to increased public attention and the pressure that can accompany visibility.

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Kess was a housemate on the seventh season of Big Brother Naija, which aired in 2022. He entered the show as a businessman and was among the contestants who competed for the season’s grand prize.

His time on the programme also placed him in the public eye, giving viewers an opportunity to follow his personality and relationships inside the house.

Kess’s latest comment offers a more reflective view of the reality TV platform, suggesting that the experience does not end when a contestant leaves the house.

However, he did not provide further details in the available post explaining which specific aspects of life after Big Brother he was referring to.

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Damilola Oni Suffers Backlash at Mama Deola Movie Premiere

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Damilola Oni

Nigerian actress Damilola Oni has come under heavy fire across social media over her controversial outfit at the star-studded Mama Deola movie premiere (more…)

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