Speaking with our correspondent, the mother of 46-year-old Olushola Mayungbe recounted the harrowing experiences that have turned her family’s life upside down. According to her, a sudden visit by police officers to their Lagos home in Ikorodu triggered a severe health crisis for her husband.
“My family was just beginning to recover from months of emotional turmoil when, out of nowhere, about ten police officers stormed our home,” she said, her voice heavy with distress. “The way they came, with neighbours watching… minutes after they left, my husband slumped. He couldn’t withstand the fear and shock.”
She explained that the crisis began long before the police appeared, rooted in the collapse of her son’s marriage. “At the beginning, Abimbola was a wonderful wife—loving, respectful, and committed. We all treated her like our own daughter and we loved her dearly,” she said.
But everything changed after Olushola confided sensitive personal information about his bisexual orientation to her. “He trusted her with his truth,” she said, “but instead of support, that truth became the reason his life fell apart.”
According to her, Abimbola’s attitude shifted sharply after the disclosure. What had been a harmonious home soon became a cycle of confrontation and hostility, culminating in a public attack on her son. Despite giving birth to Olushola’s child in 2021, Abimbola filed for divorce barely a year later, in April 2022.
“The separation made everything worse,” she said. “He was constantly living in fear, thinking people would come after him. The tension never eased.”
She recounted the day several men stormed Olushola’s residence. “He was beaten badly, and the neighbours just watched. Thankfully, one of our neighbours—a military officer—intervened. He insisted my son needed urgent medical attention. Abimbola protested, fearing that helping him would ‘take him out of her control,’ but the officer overruled her and took him to a clinic.”
Fearing further attacks, Olushola escaped through the hospital’s back exit and sought refuge with his late friend, Safari Saheed. “Doctors said he had no internal injuries, but the trauma stayed with him,” she said. “He regrets ever sharing his truth with Abimbola because of how it destroyed his life.”
The mother described how Olushola became an outcast in their neighbourhood. “People mocked him, refused to speak to him, spread rumours. Even his business collapsed. We, his parents, were overwhelmed and at one point had to distance ourselves publicly.”
The family’s ordeal worsened when the police returned. “When they came the second time, my husband collapsed again. We thought we were going to lose him. It was just too much,” she said.
Initially, Olushola’s sister blamed him for their father’s condition, refusing him contact, but eventually, the family reconciled. “There were tears everywhere. We forgave him, understood him, and embraced him again,” she said.
Today, Olushola lives abroad, fearing further attacks, harassment, or imprisonment if he returns. “He’s 46 years old, yet he has lived like someone constantly running from danger,” she said. “All we want now is for him to have peace. Nothing more.”