Nollywood heavyweight Toyin Abraham has slammed the door shut on swirling rumours about unpaid fees to her former protégé Abike Shugaa, declaring the viral allegations false and refusing to say any more on the matter. The actress took to X (formerly Twitter) to set the record straight amid a deepening rift that has left fans picking sides.
Toyin Abraham stated plainly:
“I never paid anyone such, I paid 500k for Malaika and 50k for two scenes in Ijakumo and the director removed it, pls I won’t say a word.”
Her short but firm post came hours after Shugaa (real name Oluwapelumi Olawuni Abike) dropped an emotional eight-minute video recounting her time working under the star and the heartbreak that followed.
In the now-viral clip, Shugaa described how grateful she felt after her early gigs.
“After the job, she paid me 50,000 Naira immediately. She didn’t owe me,”
she said, adding that the money meant everything at the time.
“And I was sincerely grateful for that. Cause I… needed the money.”
She confirmed shooting two scenes in the 2022 hit Ijakumo: The Born Again Stripper and receiving the same 50k fee. Shugaa also revealed she shot around 20 promotional videos and hyped the project heavily, telling friends it would mark her big cinema debut.
“I told my friends, this is my first cinema debut… I’m in the movie.”
Her hopes crumbled when the final cut dropped.
“When I saw the movie, I didn’t see myself in it,”
she confessed, explaining that the director had cut her scenes. Shugaa admitted she cried to her family but chose not to confront Abraham directly.
“I cried about it to my own family. I didn’t say anything to her.”
The once-close mentor-protégé bond began promisingly. Shugaa landed a lead role in Abraham’s film Malaika and was widely seen as part of her inner creative circle. But the relationship reportedly soured in recent years after Shugaa took on more projects linked to Funke Akindele, fuelling whispers of industry rivalry and betrayal. The latest video has reopened old wounds, with social media divided between those accusing Abraham of underpaying and sidelining talent, and others praising her for giving Shugaa early breaks that launched her career.
Abraham’s denial arrives as the drama continues to trend, with many wondering if the pair can ever mend fences or if this marks the final chapter in their once-tight alliance.