Nollywood actress and art curator Chidera Adiele has publicly appealed for help in a tearful Instagram video, revealing that her younger brother has been battling drug addiction and mental illness for seven years. She disclosed that his condition first emerged in 2019 after he gained admission to the University of Lagos, deteriorating rapidly within months of starting his first academic session in 2020.
Seven Psychiatric Facilities Over Seven Years
According to Adiele, her brother has passed through at least seven psychiatric facilities in search of treatment, including the New York Psychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta, the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, a private facility called Concept One, another in Gbagada, a hospital in Benin, and most recently the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Yaba. She explained that the maximum stay allowed at the army hospital is three months, and they recently asked her to pick him up.
"A few months into his first academic session in 2020, my brother went mad. I tried not to bring this whole thing to the media space, but I'm drowning and genuinely need help. 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 in the video posted on July 29, 2025.
Family Burden and Sacrificial Role
Adiele, who identifies as the eldest child and her brother's primary caregiver, said she relocated from the family home five years ago to shield her daughter from the instability. However, the arrangement collapsed when her parents received a quit notice from their landlord and moved in with her. "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 lamented.
She recounted distressing incidents where her brother was found wandering the streets of Lagos without clothing, with concerned citizens contacting her each time. Her frustration extended to her parents, whom she accused of leaving her to shoulder responsibilities 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.
Impact on Her Daughter and Plea for Help
With rent costs in Lagos making it impossible to secure alternative accommodation for her brother, Adiele said her daughter now sleeps in fear. The actress closed the video with a raw plea: "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."
Following his discharge from the army hospital about a week before the video was recorded, the family turned to spiritual intervention at a ministry called Zion Ministry, but his condition worsened after he returned the next night. Adiele's emotional video has sparked widespread sympathy and calls for support from fans and colleagues.
Context of Celebrity Mental Health Pleas
This plea comes amid similar appeals from Nollywood figures. Earlier, veteran actress Ngozi Nwosu appeared in a heartbreaking video from her hospital bed, appealing for financial assistance for three upcoming surgeries after being hospitalized for three weeks. The incidents highlight the growing financial and emotional toll of health crises on Nigerian entertainers and their families.
