In the early hours of Monday, March 3, a highly controversial video surfaced online. A content creator and actor, Kehinde Ganiyu Morufu, popularly known as Ijoba Lande, made shocking allegations against his wife of four years, Darasimi (Dara), accusing her of multiple infidelities. In the video, Ijoba Lande spoke candidly about his shock and heartbreak, explaining that his initial trust in his wife was absolute, so much so that he never suspected her of cheating. But by the summer of 2024, a growing unease set in. “To be sincere, I never suspected her of cheating at first. I used to swear it was impossible. But I began to suspect something around June or July 2024, when she started avoiding intimacy. By December, I confirmed my fears,” Ijoba Lande revealed.

The gravity of his statement was not lost on his viewers. Ijoba Lande alleged that Dara had slept with no fewer than 21 men, including several prominent figures in the Nigerian film industry, some of whom he personally knew and held in high regard. His voice quivered with frustration as he detailed the betrayal: “I can count at least 21 men who have slept with my wife in the industry alone. If I mention their names, I might not make it home alive because powerful men are involved. I have evidence.”

The accusation rocked social media, drawing a frenzy of speculation and outrage. The question on everyone’s lips: Who were the men involved in this sordid affair? The drama escalated even further the following day when another bombshell video emerged, implicating actor and comedian Babatunde Tayo Bernard, better known as Baba Tee. Initially, Baba Tee denied the allegations, insisting he had only met Dara through a mutual friend, MaryGold, and had been unaware of her marital status.

However, the mounting pressure soon forced him to admit his involvement. In an emotional confession, Baba Tee recounted the events that led to his brief encounter with Dara. He described a game of ‘Truth or Dare,’ initiated by MaryGold, which took a turn into dangerous waters. “I deeply regret what happened between Ijoba Lande’s wife and me. Right now, I am extremely disappointed in myself,” Baba Tee stated. “We do many things in private, but we must uphold moral values. I never imagined this would become public.”

With his admission, Baba Tee offered an apology, taking full responsibility for his actions. “Please join me in apologising to Ijoba Lande. To my fans, I appreciate every single one of you. Please consider me a first-time offender because, to the best of my knowledge, I have never done anything like this before.” This public apology only served to fuel the fire, with accusations and counterclaims continuing to swirl in every direction. MaryGold, who had been the catalyst for this tragic chain of events, found herself at the centre of intense scrutiny.

Dara, on her part, made a public attempt to downplay the situation. In a TikTok interview, she denied engaging in s3xual intercourse with Baba Tee, instead claiming that the most intimate act between them was simply sitting on his lap. “MaryGold had dared Baba Tee and me to engage in doggy,” Dara explained, “However, I refused and told him I would sit on him. We then told MaryGold to turn to the wall so she wouldn’t watch us. I only sat on his lap; we didn’t do anything.”

But Baba Tee quickly shot down Dara’s version of events, insisting that they had indeed slept together. He echoed his earlier regret, reaffirming that he deeply regretted the affair. The involvement of MaryGold in the drama further deepened the sense of betrayal felt by all parties. In her own response to the scandal, she expressed remorse for her role in introducing Dara to Baba Tee. “I’m pleading with Lande to forgive me for taking his wife to Baba Tee’s house,” MaryGold confessed, “and for also allowing her and the other guy she cheated with to treat an infection in my house.”

After several days of allegations and counter-allegations, Dara revised her initial claim of innocence, stating that she had been drunk during the game. She maintained that her intoxication may have clouded her memory of the events, but she recalled sitting on Baba Tee’s lap and regretting both participating in the game and being in that situation.

In a separate interview with her colleague, Biola Adebayo, on her podcast, Dara opened up about how MaryGold was allegedly responsible for the end of two of her relationships, including her breakup with Ijoba Lande. Dara explained, “When I met Lande, I didn’t date him for his money. There were a lot of people who didn’t want us together. At the time, I was in another relationship, but my friend, MaryGold, convinced me to give Lande a chance after he showed interest in me at a party we attended in 2021. Lande has a problematic habit of gambling—he plays Aviator (an online betting game) so frequently that it drained him of millions. He even sold his car to fund his betting addiction. He was always on his phone, glued to those betting sites, and barely paid any attention to me.

“I even had to borrow food while living with him. He didn’t take care of me, and on top of that, he physically abused me due to his anger issues. Our relationship started to deteriorate when he began supporting MaryGold for defaulting on a monthly contribution of N100,000, which was meant to contribute to a larger N1 million fund. When I challenged MaryGold to pay up, Lande sided with her, telling me I should leave her alone because she was broke. I wasn’t having it, especially since MaryGold had no problem taking money when it was her turn to contribute, which was coming from other people.

“Before I left, Lande and I had even planned a skit together about me leaving his house. I paid for the money for our introduction ceremony myself. When I left, I didn’t take anything with me – my clothes and other belongings were still at his place,” she revealed.

The fresh allegations of infidelity come almost a year after Ijoba Lande went missing for four days, sparking a public outcry. His family and friends announced his disappearance in a video posted on his Instagram page. Dara, his now-estranged wife, had explained in the video that the comic actor left their home on March 26 without his phone, leaving no clue about his whereabouts. Upon his return, Ijoba Lande addressed the situation in an Instagram live session, stating that he had not been kidnapped but had left voluntarily. He explained, “I was under spiritual attack. I left home on my own because all the prophecies I had heard about myself were coming true.”

Marital background

MaryGold, an actress, film producer and talent manager, finds herself at the centre of the scandal involving Ijoba Lande, Dara, and Baba Tee. Her role in the unfolding drama is pivotal, as she is the common thread connecting the parties involved in the infidelity scandal. MaryGold has a multifaceted career in the entertainment industry, acting as both a talent manager and a film producer. She was managing Ijoba Lande’s career while simultaneously maintaining friendships with Dara and Baba Tee, who are industry colleagues. It was at MaryGold’s event in December 2020 that Dara and Ijoba Lande were introduced to each other.

Following the event, the two soon became a couple and started living together in 2021, though Dara was still involved with another man at the time – someone whose identity remains undisclosed by Dara, though it is known that he was married. Dara claims that her relationship with this former lover ended abruptly because of MaryGold’s interference. She also suggests that MaryGold played a significant role in the breakdown of her marriage to Ijoba Lande. Before her marriage to Ijoba Lande, Dara was previously married and had two children. After her divorce, she became engaged to Ijoba Lande, and they later married, having one child together during their four-year marriage. Despite being aware of Dara’s past relationships, including her affair with a married man, Ijoba Lande and Dara’s marriage faced its own share of challenges, particularly with the involvement of MaryGold.

In an interesting turn of events, Baba Tee and Ijoba Lande have managed to resolve their differences and move forward after the fallout from the controversial incident. In fact, Baba Tee went ahead and produced a skit themed around “Truth or Dare.” However, Ijoba Lande clarified that the skit wasn’t an apology or an expression of gratitude, as many people had assumed. He explained that he had no intention of working with Baba Tee due to unresolved issues, despite being repeatedly invited to collaborate. Ijoba Lande revealed that whenever he learned Baba Tee would be part of a project, he declined the opportunity, though he stressed that it wasn’t a personal vendetta against him.

Lande shared that he had agreed to work with fellow actor Yemi Elesho, unaware that Baba Tee would also be present. When he arrived at Elesho’s apartment, Baba Tee showed up unexpectedly and began apologising before even parking his car. “I know Baba Tee has already apologised publicly, and I’ve accepted it. If I hadn’t accepted it, that’s on me, but I didn’t want to blame him because it was MaryGold and Dara who initially went to his house,” Ijoba Lande said.

Despite the public apology, Ijoba Lande made it clear that he wasn’t ready to work with Baba Tee at that moment. He also clarified that he was unaware of being filmed during the apology. “Someone from Baba Tee’s team recorded the video without me realising, and although it looked like I was the one begging, I couldn’t let him kneel like that. As an older colleague, I had to hold his waist to show respect,” Ijoba Lande explained.

“Truth or Dare” is a popular party game where players take turns choosing between answering a personal question truthfully (“truth”) or completing a challenge (“dare”). If a player selects “truth,” they must answer honestly, even if the question is uncomfortable. If they choose “dare,” they must perform a task, which can range from the playful to embarrassing. The game doesn’t have a traditional winner; it focuses on fun and social interaction instead. In the digital age, “Truth or Dare” has evolved with apps and websites offering randomised prompts, making it accessible for both in-person and online play, continuing to engage players in various settings. (The Nation)