Nollywood actor, Kalu Ikeagwu, has announced that he was once a victim of domestic violence while in a toxic relationship.
Speaking during an interview with Punch, the movie star revealed how he once found himself in a wrong relationship and how he managed to escape the domestic violence he endured for so long.
According to him, like several young Nigerians out there, he has been in toxic relationships while ignoring red flags in the past, but he eventually grew and learned to detect the warning signs early enough, while giving no abuser any benefit of the doubt.
Kalu revealed that people should learn to always search for a future partner who knows Christ and serves Him wholeheartedly, and those searching for such a partner should ensure they are serving God faithfully and diligently as well.
“Yes, I have experienced toxic relationships and ignored red flags, as most young people would.
I learnt very quickly to spot those red flags early on and to never assume people can or will change. A leopard does not change its spots.
The fear of God kept me in check. I remained calm, removed all emotion from the situation and maintained complete control until the escalation died down.
Today, I am much the better for it. I thank God I trusted Him through the process. I am still benefitting from it till tomorrow,” he said.
The moviestar is of the opinion that toxic relationships thrive in Nigeria because there is a lack of awareness that will wake people up to their reality and how to curb them. He disclosed that there is also a lack of readiness to properly enforce relevant laws that will punish the perpetrators of such violence and deter future offenders.
“I think raising awareness about domestic violence and toxic relationships is a good thing to wake people up to the reality that these two maligning issues are on the increase in society.
However, I think a deluge of media coverage on domestic violence would have little or no impact if the cause of the prevalent violence is not addressed.
I feel that Nigerian laws are sufficient enough to protect women and children from domestic violence, but are the justice system and the authorities doing enough to protect them? I don’t think so.
There is a lack of will for various reasons— political and otherwise— to adequately enforce the law to punish the perpetrators of violence and deter would-be offenders. This could be the major reason for the increase in domestic violence,” Kalu added.
