Actress and filmmaker Iyabo Ojo has addressed the incident involving her colleagues, Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, at the premiere of her film “The Return of Arinzo.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported that a video showing Akindele snubbing Abraham at the event on Sunday at the Balmoral Event Centre in Lagos quickly went viral.
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The footage sparked a discussion on social media, with many users suggesting that the long-standing feud between the two, which has simmered for over a decade, remains unresolved.
Some netizens also criticised Ojo and other celebrities present at the premiere for not intervening in the feud.
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Settlement
In response to the backlash, the mother of two took to her Instagram page on Tuesday to set the record straight.
She urged the public not to malign her character, insult her, or use unprintable names in relation to the incident.
Ojo revealed that she had attempted to mediate between the two actresses, but her efforts were unsuccessful.
Ojo said: “I tried my very best to settle both of them, cried, knelt, begged both parties to embrace peace which they both later did, reason you saw them a few months ago interacting with one another, but there was a condition, no one was to shade online if any issue arose, they both promised to address it off camera.
“But unfortunately, December came, Toyin made some complaints about her movie in cinemas, claiming some people or a person was trying to sabotage her, some fans pointed accusing fingers towards Funke, which sparked up a fresh beef.”
No more begging
Ojo added that she is no longer concerned with mending the rift between Akindele and Abraham.
She expressed that the feud between the two actresses saddened her, emphasising that there is plenty of room in the industry for both to thrive.
“I have tried my best, but at this point, I can’t beg anyone anymore. I honestly don’t want to get involved anymore. Please, you all should respect that.
“When both parties are ready, they will make peace. I love them both regardless. The Return of Arinzo will start showing in all cinemas nationwide from the 3rd of April”, she said.
Ojo also revealed that she had once fallen out with Akindele, but they later reconciled after acknowledging their mistakes.
“Funke and I have been friends for the longest, but there were times we fell out, fault on both sides. I once came online to drag Funke because of Toyin’s movie. That was a wrong move on my part; I should have handled it better. Funke and I later made up, and we addressed all our issues and put them behind us”, said Ojo.
The Return of Arinzo
She also added that she planned to cast Abraham in “The Return of Arinzo”, but, unfortunately, it did not materialise.
“Toyin was supposed to be in it but she said she was exhausted, and she also had to travel, so she pulled out last minute, I was upset bcos it cost me a lot, to rewrite the story, but the show must go on, we had a deadline to film if I wanted The Return of Arinzo to make 3rd of April. She apologised, we made up, and the rest is history.”
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The newspaper reported that the feud between the actresses has long focused on their box-office success.
Akindele is recognised as Nollywood’s top box-office star, having starred in multiple record-breaking films, while Abraham consistently delivers hits and commands a devoted fan base.
Both have achieved milestones: Abraham’s “Oversabi Aunty” surpassed N1 billion in February 2026, making her the first debut solo director to reach this mark, while Akindele’s “Behind The Scenes”, released in December 2025, earned N2.4 billion.
