The family drama surrounding Ilebaye Odiniya has taken a fresh turn, as her mother, Ms Lami Calista, has dismissed allegations by the reality TV star’s father that his daughter abandoned him financially after winning the grand prize on Big Brother Naija All Stars.
Speaking in response to a viral audio recording by Emmanuel Odiniya, Ilebaye’s father, Ms Calista said the claims were false and insisted her daughter had spent millions supporting him, especially during his medical treatments abroad.
According to her, shortly after Ilebaye won the N120 million cash prize in 2023, she gave her father N7 million for treatment in India. She added that when he travelled again the following year, he received N5 million, later demanding more, which led Ilebaye to send an additional N3 million.
Ms Calista claimed that beyond the medical bills, the former reality TV winner also gives her father N1 million regularly and covers the school fees of her two younger brothers, which she said cost millions of naira.
She alleged that the root of the dispute was her ex-husband’s expectation that Ilebaye should hand over the bulk of her winnings to him. According to her, he became angry after she refused to surrender all the prize money and later declined to give him N50 million.
The mother also rejected accusations that Ilebaye influenced her younger brother into drug use.
She explained that the boy allegedly found an empty shisha pen in his sister’s room, took it to school out of curiosity, and showed it to classmates.
She said school authorities investigated the matter, issued a warning, and did not expel him as claimed.
On the allegation that the reality star underwent cosmetic surgery without her father’s knowledge, Ms Calista described the claim as baseless, questioning why such accusations would come from a parent.
She said the recent allegations have deeply affected Ilebaye, especially the claims linking her to drug use, arguing that such accusations could damage her public image and career.
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