Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nollywood actress and art curator Chidera Adiele has made an emotional and desperate appeal for help over her younger brother's prolonged battle with drug addiction and mental illness, revealing that she has exhausted every option available and is now at breaking point. In a tearful video shared on her Instagram page on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Adiele disclosed that her brother has been struggling with the condition for the past seven years, a crisis that began after he secured admission into the University of Lagos in 2019 and deteriorated during his first academic session in 2020.
According to the actress, her brother has been in and out of at least seven psychiatric facilities over the years in a desperate search for treatment. The hospitals include New York Psychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta, the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, a private facility identified as Concept One, another hospital in Gbagada, a psychiatric hospital in Benin, and most recently, the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Yaba. She disclosed that he spent three months at the military hospital before doctors informed her that they could no longer keep him beyond the maximum admission period. “He was in the psychiatric ward for three months and they recently asked me to come pick him up because they said they couldn't keep him there indefinitely. The max they can keep a patient there is three months,” she said.
Adiele explained that after his discharge a week before she recorded the video, the family sought spiritual intervention by taking him to Zion Ministry. However, she said his condition worsened significantly after he returned from the ministry the previous night. The actress revealed that she moved out of the family home about five years ago to protect her daughter after realising that her brother's condition was affecting the child. But the family has now returned to live with her after their landlord issued them a quit notice, bringing the crisis back into her daily life. “They've brought this drama back to me and worse is I have been his primary caregiver since all of this started. I've been the one taking him to all these hospitals,” she said.
Describing herself as the first child of the family, Adiele said she had spent extensively on her brother's treatment without any lasting improvement. “I'm the first child. I'm tired. I'm so tired of carrying responsibilities that I had no business carrying,” she lamented. She also accused her parents of failing to take responsibility for her brother's care, saying she could no longer continue bearing the burden alone. “I'm done being the sacrificial lamb. I'm done being the one who has to take care of everybody and nobody cares about me,” she said.
In a heartbreaking disclosure, Adiele said her brother had, on several occasions, been sighted wandering the streets of Lagos unclothed, with concerned members of the public alerting her whenever he was spotted. She expressed deep concern for her daughter's safety, adding that she had been unable to secure alternative accommodation for her brother due to the exorbitant cost of rent in Lagos. “My daughter sleeps in fear because they are still in my house at the moment. I've tried to help them get another apartment but apartments, houses are really crazy expensive,” she said.
The actress ended the video with a direct and desperate appeal for assistance, saying she had exhausted every option available to her. “I've done what I can do. I've carried him everywhere that I can carry him to… I'm tired. Please, I'm drowning. I need help,” she pleaded. The appeal has drawn significant reactions on social media, with many users expressing sympathy for the actress and calling for greater support for families caring for relatives living with mental illness and substance use disorders.
Adiele's story shines a harsh light on the systemic failures in Nigeria's mental healthcare system, where families are often left to shoulder the immense burden of caring for loved ones with little to no institutional support. The lack of long-term care facilities, the prohibitive cost of treatment, and the stigma surrounding mental illness have forced countless families into similar situations of desperation and exhaustion. For Chidera Adiele, a successful actress and art curator, the crisis has stripped her of her peace, her savings, and her sense of security. Her plea for help is not just a personal cry but a mirror reflecting the struggles of thousands of Nigerian families grappling with mental health crises alone. As her video continues to circulate, the hope is that it will spark the conversation and action needed to build a more compassionate and functional mental health system in Nigeria. For now, Adiele waits, hoping that someone—anyone—will answer her call.
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