Prophet Itunu Onadeko, fiancé of late Nollywood actress Temitope Osoba, has opened up about their two-year relationship, revealing how they met and addressing allegations surrounding their life together before her death.
Onadeko, Shepherd-in-charge of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Onibuore Cathedral in Bogije, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, spoke about the relationship during an interview with the Celestial Reality Check, the media investigative unit of the CCC.
According to him, Osoba initially visited his church seeking prayers after being introduced to him by her younger sister.
Onadeko said he already knew Osoba as an actress and was particularly familiar with her work in Yoruba-language movies.
He explained that after praying for her, the two developed a friendship that eventually grew into a romantic relationship.
“It was her younger sister that told me that her elder sister, Temitope, wanted me to pray for her. I told her sister that Temitope Osoba is the only actress I like in Yoruba Nollywood movies.
“So I told her sister that although I’ve seen her before, I didn’t know that she was staying around. Upon meeting me and complaining about her problems, I prayed for her.
“So after the third day of completing her redemption work, she came back and we were already friends then,” he said.
Onadeko, who said he was previously married but separated, disclosed that their relationship became more serious after Osoba visited him one evening while he was preparing to buy food.
“Tope was my fiancee. We were not legally married but her aunty knew about our relationship. We have been dating for about two years now. I met her when she came to me for prayers and we became friends.
“She visited me one evening and I said I wanted to buy food. She then asked me if I didn’t have a wife and I said no, I was once married but separated.
“She replied that she liked me and we laughed over it. We started our relationship from there and we were living together,” he recounted.
The prophet also denied allegations that he forced the actress out of their home, insisting that she left voluntarily.
“Concerning the allegations that I chased her out of the house, I never did. She left on her own,” he said.
Onadeko further alleged that Osoba struggled with drug use, claiming that she concealed it from him for about six months after they began living together.
“Tope was a drug addict. I have a lot of videos on my phone as evidence but I don’t want it to be on the social media. I have complained to her severally to stop but she didn’t. At times she would run out of the house for days just because I told her to stop using dr*gs,” he alleged.
He said her alleged drug use eventually became a source of concern for him and the church, particularly because children at the church were fond of her.
“She h!d it from me that she was taking dr*gs until six months after we started living together. This became an embarrassment to me and the church. I told her that little children in the church loved to be around her and it was not fair for her to be taking colos openly,” he said.
According to Onadeko, members of the church and people around the actress were aware of her alleged drug use.
“All the church members knew she was taking colos. Everybody around her knew. I didn’t take her to a rehab because I couldn’t afford the money. All I could offer was a piece of advice,” he added.
He also said he was unaware of Osoba’s previous relationships when they began dating, adding that she only mentioned one former partner whom she described as a “Yahoo boy.”
“I didn’t know who she was dating before we started having an affair. She only told me that she once dated a Yahoo boy who ran away with her car. I told her not to explain further because she always doesn’t want to listen to stories about my ex-wife too,” he said.
Onadeko also denied ever praying for any of Osoba’s former husbands.
“I never prayed for any Tope’s ex-husband before,” he said.
The prophet said he only learnt of Osoba’s death after she was reportedly taken to a police station, adding to the growing questions surrounding the circumstances of the actress’s final days.
His revelations come amid renewed public interest in Osoba’s personal life following her death at the age of 40, with claims about her relationships, health and circumstances before her death generating discussion on social media.
