Five years after they parted ways, Nigerian filmmaker, Daniel Ademinokan, has refuted claims by his ex-wife, Stella Damasus, that she discovered that their marriage ended on the internet.
Before Stella, Ademinokan married actress Doris Simeon, with whom he has a son, David, in 2008. They got divorced in 2011.
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He then married Stella in 2012, and they divorced in 2020. Ademinokan married Tope Oshin. They had a small wedding ceremony with family and friends in Houston, Texas, on 30 July 2023. Oshin was previously married to screenwriter Yinka Ogun.
However, in a 2023 interview with Teju Babyface, which is trending again, the famous actress said she learnt about their divorce on YouTube.
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“My phone was buzzing with notifications, and I started receiving phone calls from my friends who called to check on me after reports circulating claimed that my marriage had ended. Then I decided to check on YouTube. And even after that, I still didn’t know that something like that had happened until I got the final call that the marriage had ended,” she said.
Responding to the resurfaced video, Ademinokan said that although he tried not to dignify the claims with a response, “when silence gets mistaken for ignorance or guilt, it’s only fair to offer a quick 5-minute reality check.”
Rebuttal
Describing her claims as false, Ademinokan said that his decision to remain silent is not an admission of guilt.
“I’ve watched you twist facts confidently, assuming no one’s paying attention. But now that you’ve mistaken grace for guilt, I will ask you to choose your next story wisely because I came with footnotes…
“You claimed in that little interview with your echo chamber that you ‘found out about the divorce on YouTube.” Lie. You claimed I signed and sent you the divorce papers, which you were unaware of. Another lie,”
He posted a chain of emails in which the famous actress, 47, sent him divorce documents for him to sign.
“Based on the recent events, it is evident that there is no hope that this marriage will work anymore. In September 2020, when you decided to leave our home and separate our family, and then called me to say that you were not coming back, it became clear that our marriage was over,” a part of the email reads.
Another part of the email shows the actress requesting a physical address so the divorce papers can be delivered directly to him.
Abuse allegations
According to the filmmaker, although he moved out of their matrimonial home, he did so out of self-preservation, for his sanity, and his son’s safety.
The New York Film Academy alumnus further suggested that his ex-wife was physically abusive to his son, even though he won’t unpack the full extent of what his son endured.
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“Let’s just say: when a child needs makeup to hide a scar before school, the damage runs deeper than the skin. He’s alive. He remembers. And so do I. You screamed at me boldly, “I don’t want to be here, but I have to be here!!!”
“Abeg, what’s left for a man to do when his home sounds like a hostage situation? You knew I was leaving. You knew I wasn’t coming back. I packed my son, my peace, and my entire life, and walked out the front door in broad daylight. You watched me leave that Sunday morning,” he further stated.
He further called on the actress, who had been married three times, to let him be.
“Just as I have left you in peace. I’ve chosen a more private life, so don’t drag me into your soap opera. You’ve had your five minutes from me,” he added.
