In her interview with Encomium, Nollywood actor, Femi Branch’s ex-wife Ibitola revealed what led to the crash of their 10-year-old marriage.
This is coming after it was revealed that Femi Branch was set to wed for the third time after separating from Ibitola, the mother of his two children.
According to Femi Branch’s ex-wife, apart from being beaten, her story of financial deprivation laced with humongous lies by her actor husband of ten years whom she accused of living a reckless life, sounds unimaginable.
Ibitola Branch also told us about her husband’s incarceration in Kirikiri and abandonment for ten months.
Here’s the mother of two children’s side of the marital mess…
We heard that you and Femi Branch have called it quit. Is it true?
Yes, it is
What actually happened?
I came back from work that day, and he went out as well. I waited till 11 pm and I didn’t see him. I tried calling him on phone when I didn’t see him. He complained that I was screaming, I apologized for screaming and I asked him for his whereabouts. I told him he wouldn’t have gone that long since he wasn’t on location. All he said was that he was coming, he also said I was screaming which I apologised for again. But Femi did not come back to the house till 1am. I was up waiting since he said he was coming. When he came, I went to open the gate and I told his friend that I wouldn’t come down that late again if he comes back late. I was really upset. I asked his friend to warn him because of another time. I added that he should be telling me if he would come home or not because that wasn’t his first time. The next thing Femi said was, “You dey craze.” And I replied the same way. He started bragging, “Do you know who you are talking to? I am Femi Branch,” and he descended on me and started beating me. He was hitting me hard and his friend was trying to stop him. He left me and went upstairs and told me to meet him upstairs. His friend said I shouldn’t go, but where will I go by that time? So I went upstairs. Femi continued beating me and insulting me. His friend tried to intervene again, all these while I never raised my hands against him. You can imagine him with his stature hitting me. His friend said I shouldn’t sleep in the house, so I followed him because he was also a married man with a kid. I slept in his house that night.
Was is the name of his friend?
I wouldn’t want to drag him into this, it was a close friend of his.
Would that be the first time he would be beating you?
The truth is, that was the first time. But before then, he had pushed me hard against the bed that I almost hit my head on the wall. That was two years ago. Such things don’t happen without signs, him pushing me the first time and now beating me. It could develop into something else. I have always said I can’t stay in a marriage if the man is beating me, I know I can get killed if it continues. I have risked my life enough in that marriage so I decided to leave.
What happened next after moving to his friend’s house?
The second day, his younger brother asked me to come over to his own house as he wasn’t happy I was staying in a friend’s house. I moved there and was shuttling between that place and my sister’s house till I could get a place of my own.
What were the signs that showed things were getting really bad?
The issue is that we women see signs even before marriage. I would like to say that Femi came extremely late on our wedding day. People were already waiting for almost three hours before Femi came and he was not apologetic about it?
What exactly happened?
I don’t know, but it took him almost three hours before he showed up and he was not remorseful about it. Then, when I got married to him, he has only paid my daughter’s school fees for just one term. My daughter is nine years, that means I am the one who has been responsible for her upkeep.
What was his excuse for not being responsible?
He made me believe he does not have money. Later on, I heard he goes out and spends money anyhow. He goes to clubs, pops champagne and spends crazily. It was a regular occurrence, people used to call me that he was in one hotel or the other. There was this particular day someone called me that he was in a hotel spending money. That person knew Femi was not responsible at home. All I was trying to do was to patch the marriage and make sure things were fine. You know in the African setting when you are married, you have to endure. Up till this moment that I am talking to you, he doesn’t know how his children are eating or faring. The last time he saw them was January this year. He said they should spend the New Year with him and he returned them empty handed.
Was there no time you called him to order?
Several times, we spoke severally. He was always saying jobs were not coming, he doesn’t have money.
Femi is a successful actor getting lead roles, so why was he irresponsible?
It is unfortunate outsiders have a different picture of him. Femi is someone who can be in church speaking in tongues and the next minute he is out with the guys drinking, smoking and womanizing. He acts a lot. He is not the same person at home and outside.
Are his parents and siblings aware of this?
Funny enough, he has a very wonderful family. They knew about it and spoke with him severally. In fact, his family made me stay this long in the marriage. His family complained and talked to him, they did everything they could. It is only prayer that can change him, Femi lies a lot.
Can you give me instances?
He would tell me he has gone on location and he would lodge in a hotel, do whatever he likes. There was a time he was part of the crew following Jimi Agbaje during his campaign period. I was in Abeokuta then. After the whole exercise, everybody left the hotel except Femi. He was enjoying himself. One of his colleagues whom I had complained to called me to inform me that he was the only one left in the hotel. It is the same hotel he is indebted to now. He has a case at the Ikeja magistrate court. The story is true that he was locked up in Kirikiri. He is owing the hotel to the tune of millions.
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