‘I’m scared’ — Yvonne Jegede weeps over insecurity in Nigeria

Yvonne Jegede has become the latest public figure to voice her anguish over the escalating insecurity in Nigeria, breaking down in tears in a heartfelt online plea for safety and government action.

In a recent Instagram video, the Nollywood star lamented the profound personal toll the situation is taking, stating she has been unable to sleep after spending hours scrolling through distressing news of violence across the country.

“I have not been able to sleep in the past hour and a half, I have been on social media looking through content about my country. Nigeria is under attack and our politicians, security agencies are folding their hands and just watching,” she said.

The actress described how fear has dictated her daily life, forcing her to change her routines for her own safety.

“If they finish killing us, killing Christians, who is going to be left for you people to govern? The silence is too loud. We are calling for help. Once it is 9 or 10 p.m, I do not drive anywhere. I am scared, I just lock myself inside my house because I do not know what can happen,” she said.

Addressing the authorities, Jegede questioned the perceived silence and inaction. She pointed to the recent attack on a church in Kwara state as a stark reminder that such violence is not a distant threat.

“I mean, they invaded a church in Kwara and Kwara is not very far from Lagos. So we cannot just sit down and think it is not happening around, it closer than we think,” she added.

“To the question I have been asking, if they finish killing us, who will be there to vote for you people? They are killing us. They are killing Christians. We need help. It is getting too much.”

Jegede’s emotional outcry is part of a growing chorus of Nigerian celebrities speaking out over the past few days.

The surge in public statements follows two particularly shocking incidents: the brutal attack on a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Oke Isegun, Eruku community, Kwara state, and the abduction of 25 female students from a government college in Kebbi.

Rapper Falz publicly called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to take decisive action, while Funke Akindele expressed shock over the viral video of the Kwara attack.

Davido also sympathised with the victims and their families while comedian AY Makun described the violent incidents as “alarming”.

Actress Bukola Arugba revealed that three of her own relatives were among those abducted in the church attack.