From Owambe Thieves to Curiosity Made Me Ask: Inside Laide Bakare & Eniola Badmus’ feud

There are some relationships in Nollywood that seem to survive every season of the industry from changing friendships, new alliances, public celebrations and the occasional fallout.

For two actresses who once described themselves in much warmer terms, the years have produced a very different picture. What was once spoken of as friendship has gradually become a story of sharp exchanges, accusations and moments that have played out in front of an increasingly curious public.

And every new episode seems to reopen the ones that came before it. For Laide Bakare and Eniola Badmus, the latest chapter has once again put their relationship under the spotlight.

How It Started

Eniola Badmus on the podcast

On October 19, 2026, Laide Bakare shared a clip from Eniola Badmus’ appearance on Isbae U’s Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast. During the conversation, Isbae U mentioned Laide as one of his favourite actresses. Eniola’s expression changed, followed by an audible snort. She then appeared to compose herself and continued with the conversation.

It might have remained just another viral celebrity moment, but there was already history between the two women.

Laide saw the reaction differently and decided to respond and her caption was anything but subtle. She accused Eniola of repeatedly damaging her character in public despite several warnings, and questioned why she would react that way at the mention of her name.

“See your facial expressions at the mention of your biggest Benefactor Name?” Laide wrote.

She went on to call Eniola an “ingrate” and claimed that she had helped her colleague earlier in her career.

“I will never allow someone else’s insecurity to become my distraction,” she added, insisting that she knew her journey, her worth and what it had taken to get where she was. The post immediately brought their old disagreements back into public conversation.

From Friendship To Friction

Eniola Badmus | Laide Bakare in book launch outfit

The history between Laide and Eniola makes the latest incident more complicated. In March 2024, Laide had described Eniola as her childhood friend and recalled that they had grown up together and studied at the University of Ibadan around the same period.

That was before another public disagreement changed the tone. Laide had just held her book launch in Lagos on March 3, 2024. Her white outfit, paired with an orange cape, attracted plenty of attention online, including criticism and jokes about the look.

Eniola joined the conversation. In a post on Instagram, she asked in Yoruba which of her colleagues had worn “Pastor Ajidara’s” outfit. Laide did not find the joke funny. She accused Eniola and some other colleagues of ignoring her achievements while being quick to point out her mistakes.

More importantly, she questioned why someone she regarded as a friend from their younger years would participate in the mockery.

“Have you ever congratulated me on any of my successes?” Laide asked, before answering her own question: “CAPITAL NO.” She also wrote that she was confused by the behaviour of someone she considered a childhood friend.

But Eniola had her own version of what had happened. She alleged that Laide had previously mocked her privately over not having a child and a family. She also accused Laide of criticising her political choice during the 2023 presidential election. Eniola warned that her decision not to respond to an earlier confrontation should not be mistaken for weakness.

“The fact that you called me out the other time and I did not reply you doesn’t mean am weak,” she wrote, describing herself as a “war lord” when it came to confrontation.

Laide later denied mocking Eniola over childlessness, saying she was not God and could not create a child. She also accused Eniola of being the first to insult her privately.

The disagreement ended up becoming more than a quarrel over an outfit. It became a glimpse into a relationship that appeared to have already accumulated several unresolved grievances.

Then Came Owambe Thieves

Eniola Badmus & Laide Bakare at premiere

A year later, the tension moved from Instagram to an actual event. On April 13, 2025, Laide and Eniola attended the premiere of Eniola Ajao’s movie Owambe Thieves at Filmhouse Circle Mall in Lekki, Lagos.

A video from the event showed the two actresses in a heated exchange. Reports from the event said Eniola did not want to be filmed alongside Laide and was heard saying that they were not friends. Laide then confronted her, tapping her by the shoulder and asking if she was mentally okay, while a man believed to be a bodyguard attempted to intervene. In all, Eniola simply ignored Laide.

The clip quickly spread online and their private disagreement became something the public could watch repeatedly. But Laide was not finished. Following the confrontation, she shared screenshots of private messages between herself and Eniola. In the exchange, Eniola reportedly criticised Laide for posting a photograph of them together and described her behaviour as “terrible animalistic behaviour.”

Laide responded by making an even bigger claim about their history. She said she had given Eniola one of her first major acting opportunities at a time when, according to Laide, other producers were reluctant to work with her.

“I gave you first major role in your life,” she claimed in one of her posts. She described Eniola as an “ingrate” and questioned why someone she had supported would now treat her with hostility.

The disagreement did not stop with the screenshots. Laide later addressed the incident during an Instagram live session, where she said she had known Eniola for about 25 years. She maintained that she had invested in their relationship out of genuine love and accused Eniola of repeatedly trying to make her look bad.

“I made you. I’m not bragging. I made you. Why do you want to paint me black?” Laide said.

She also claimed that Eniola had repeatedly avoided being photographed with her because they were no longer friends. According to Laide, this was particularly painful because of their long history. “She has done it more than ten times. I have proof,” she said.

Laide framed the disagreement not simply as a clash between two actresses, but as a betrayal of a relationship that had lasted for years. She said she had supported Eniola out of genuine love and questioned why that history now appeared to count for nothing.

Eniola Chose A Different Response

Eniola Badmus

The public confrontation generated plenty of commentary, but Eniola did not respond to Laide in the same manner. On April 16, 2025, she shared a message about peace, unity and letting love lead.

Without directly naming Laide, Eniola acknowledged that there had been “moments of tension” between them and said she believed it was time to move beyond conflict.

“Your success does not diminish mine, just as mine does not take away from yours,” she wrote.

She also said that people should avoid conflict not because they were weak, but because they were wise.For a moment, it appeared that the two actresses might leave the matter there, but the history was not erased.

A Feud That Keeps Finding Its Way Back

That is what makes the latest Curiosity Made Me Ask incident different from an ordinary celebrity disagreement. There is no shortage of reasons for the public to recognise the names together. There was the 2024 book-launch dispute and the confrontation at Owambe Thieves in April 2025. Then, in October 2026, came a podcast clip that lasted only a few seconds. Yet those few seconds were enough to reopen everything.

Laide’s Latest Warning

Laide Bakare

After sharing the podcast clip, Laide followed it with another post that appeared to broaden the message beyond the immediate incident. Using her own photograph, she wrote about jealousy, desperation and people who might feel threatened by another person’s growth. She urged her followers not to allow negative people to distract them from their journey.

“Not everyone who smiles with you is genuinely happy for you,” she wrote.

She also said maturity meant understanding that not every insult deserved a response. But she ended the message by returning to the person at the centre of the controversy.

“Eniola Je ki ori e pe o!” she wrote, before adding that she was giving her a “last warning.”

In another post featuring a video of herself, Laide declared that no surgery was needed and said her she is too big to be brought down. She then took another direct swipe at Eniola, writing: “Your 10 can’t march this only one beauty miss Badosky Alakori.”

Eniola Responds

Eniola Badmus

Hours after Laide’s posts drew attention online, Eniola Badmus responded. Rather than challenge Laide’s accusations or revisit their past disagreements, she addressed the moment that started the latest controversy which was about her reaction when Laide’s name was mentioned during the podcast.

In an Instagram post, Eniola admitted that her reaction could have appeared dismissive and apologised. She wrote:

“On reflection, I realise my reaction when Laide Bakare’s name was mentioned during my recent interview could have come across as dismissive, and for that, I sincerely apologise.”

She then addressed Laide directly.

“Laide, whatever our differences, I choose peace and I genuinely wish you well.”

The actress followed the apology with a message about growth, maturity and moving past conflict. She wrote:

“We’re all growing, learning and becoming better versions of ourselves. Sometimes maturity is simply knowing when to let go and move forward.”

She ended with a Yoruba expression asking Laide not to be angry: “*Joo maa binu.” *“No negativity. No grudges. Let love lead and peace reigns. ”

She also added a simple final word: “Apologies…”
The response marked a sharp change in tone from the confrontational exchanges that have characterised parts of their history. Rather than respond to Laide’s claims about their past or defend her reaction on the podcast, Eniola chose to acknowledge how the moment looked and apologise for it.

A Different Ending This Time?

Laide Bakare

For years, the disagreements between Laide Bakare and Eniola Badmus have rarely stayed private. From the 2024 dispute over Laide’s book-launch outfit to their confrontation at the Owambe Thievespremiere in 2025, their disagreements have repeatedly spilled into public view.

The latest episode followed the same familiar pattern at first. A brief moment was captured on camera, and netizens noticed it. Laide responded publicly, and once again, an old history came rushing back into the conversation.

But this time, the story took a different turn. Laide’s response was fierce, personal and filled with references to the history between them. Eniola, however, chose to step back. Her apology does not erase the disagreements that came before it, nor does it answer every allegation that has been made over the years. But it does bring the latest chapter to a much calmer point.

Whether the two actresses eventually repair their relationship is something only they can determine. For now, after years of public tension, Eniola has made her position clear: no negativity, no grudges, and peace over another public fight.

And perhaps that is where this chapter of their story can finally end, not with another exchange, but with an apology.

The post From Owambe Thieves to Curiosity Made Me Ask: Inside Laide Bakare & Eniola Badmus’ feud appeared first on WITHIN NIGERIA.