Ruth’s death comes following her involvement in an accident where she was hit by a Dangote truck. The sad news was announced in a statement released via Phyna’s Instagram page on Sunday.

The statement reads, “We remain Solicitors to Ruth Otabor, Josephine Otabo (Whose moniker is Phyna) and the Otabor Family and have their instruction to inform the public this.

“With a heavy heart, the family regrets to announce the passing on to glory of their daughter, sister, and mother on this 31st Day of August 2025 at about 06:30.

“The Family is presently grieving and would appreciate being given a private moment to mourn the departed. The funeral arrangement will be communicated to the oubluc in due course.”

The news of Ruth’s demise comes hours after reports started spreading online that Phyna is down and has been hospitalised. A photo of Phyna lying on a hospital bed had gone viral online amid the reports.

However, Nollywood filmmaker Stanley Ontop has dismissed the reports as false, claiming the photo was not genuine but taken from a movie set in Asaba, where Phyna is currently working on a film.

He explained that the hospital scene was part of a production and that the medical props, including the drip and hospital gown, were costumes belonging to a local team member.

Initially believing she was truly hospitalised, Stanley said he felt misled after learning the image was staged.

He criticised Phyna for creating false impressions, especially after many people had publicly defended and supported her.

According to him, Phyna had only received minor treatment, such as drips and injections at her hotel, and was never admitted to any hospital.

He heavily fumed over what he described as a deliberate attempt to manipulate public sympathy, stating that such actions could damage credibility and trust.

Nigerian media personality Toke Makinwa is on cloud nine after revealing the birth of her first child, a baby girl, after many years of waiting. She shared the big news on her Instagram page, where she posted pictures of her newborn holding her thumb, with the caption, “I’m a Mommy…… This is the happiest I’ve ever been.”

She also shared the names of the newborn, which included Yoruba, Hebrew, and English names that captured the blessings and beauty of her birth.

“Yakira Eliana, Olakitan, Iyanuoluwa, Ikeoluwa, Adunola, Meet my miracle, Yakira Eliana — Precious, Beloved — of great worth, My God has answered.”

Well-wishers have flooded the comment section of her Instagram posts, congratulating the 40-year-old, who joins the list of Nigerian celebrity mothers.

Media Personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Actor and Media Personality Uti Nwachukwu, actress Tonto Dike, and many other celebrities commented on the post.

Toke Makinwa’s baby is walking into the world with a wardrobe full of designers waiting for her.

In a post on her Instagram account, the media personality showed off the designer gifts her celebrity friends have showered the newborn with.

From luxury brands like Chanel, to personalised keepsakes, Toke described the unboxing as more than just showing off items, but a dream she had waited years to experience.

“For me, this is not just an unboxing video but such a priceless moment because I’ve waited so long to do this,” she wrote.

While celebrating the defining moment in her life, Toke shared a word of kindness and hope to all those waiting on a miracle, whether for marriage, children, health, or career breakthroughs.

“Live your life, you are not defined by what has not yet happened for you,” she encouraged.

For a celebrity who has been in the news for over a decade, Toke Makinwa’s pregnancy announcement expectedly sparked reactions online. Some accused her of faking the baby bump, which led Afrobeats queen Tiwa Savage and Nollywood box office giant Funke Akindele to speak in her defence.

In the world of celebrity babies, the newborn will be walking into a life of glitz and glamour as the biggest gift to one of Nigeria’s most talked-about celebrities.

Nollywood actor Jim Iyke has stirred a bit of controversy after sharing his opinion about single mothers, stating that they cannot raise boys properly. He declared, “A woman can’t raise a man, they’re not built for it. A single mother cannot raise men properly.”

You need a man that you trust, and there has to be a male presence because women are naturally built to nurture, to love. If you’re going to raise a man, he’s going to be everything like that man who left you. You need someone who would discipline him and teach him how to grind.

Recalling an incident while on holiday in France with his son, the actor shared how he handled a situation where his son was bullied during a football game.

I was at a beach at the side of France once with my son. He was playing with a bunch of kids and I think he got tired. He’s a terrible football player so they dribbled the hell out of him and took his ball. When he came back to me crying, I didn’t even act like I knew him and I told him to be a man. One of the mothers of the sons stepped aside to watch how I handled him. This is why you need a man.

His comments have since sparked mixed reactions, with many arguing that single mothers are fully capable of raising well-rounded men.

See reactions below:

Women in general don suffer shaaaa. Every eke market day, women this, women that.

Lost my dad at Age 11- my mother raised my siblings and I! The farthest thing I’m from is a weak man, if I tell you what I have been through in this life and what I have achieved, someone who has their both parents fit craze if them go through half. Single mothers raise weak men! Mumu talk!

Don’t repeat that, my grandma raised five sons and they’re all handsome, successful, and lovely men – a true testament to her parenting!

It’s not that a mother can’t raise a boy; she absolutely can. But every boy still needs a man’s input at some point in his life. I was raised by my mum and I turned out strong, but I can also recognise there were certain touches and lessons I missed, the kind that usually come from a father. That balance matters.

Recall that Jim Iyke, in a recent interview, described modern feminism as a crime. The 48-year-old also addressed the “double standards” he believes is the bane of the movement, affirming his strong disapproval of what he thinks it is: a two-faced approach to gender dynamics.