Sola Sobowale on drug trafficking allegations, rumored dead in Saudi Arabia

Veteran Nollywood actress Sola Sobowale has opened up on how she was accused of drug trafficking and how she was rumored to be dead in Saudi Arabia.

For a long time, Sola Sobowale was absent from the acting scene. The actress who dominated the screens in the late ’90s and early ’20s in drama series like “Super Story” and movies like “Diamond Ring” spoke with Teju Babyface about her reasons for leaving the country for the United Kingdom.

Recall In 2011, reports circulated claiming that Sobowale was implicated in drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia, where she was purportedly arrested and met her demise. Sobowale, however, categorically debunked these speculations.

During a recent interview with media personality Teju Babyface, Sobowale candidly recounted the details of the incident and how it impacted her life.

Sola Sobowale recalled that when she left Nigeria for the United Kingdom, numerous negative reports were published about her, including claims that she was killed in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking. She stated that the rumours did not bother her, emphasising that she was at peace with God.

The actress also remembered how her name was dragged through the mud when reports emerged that she was selling food in a London restaurant owned by her older sister, Kike Oyelami. Sola Sobowale, however, clarified that she would often help her sister at the restaurant during her free time, leading to the misleading reports.

Sola Sobowale expressed that the most hurtful lie was the claim that she was arrested and killed in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking. She sarcastically recounted the false story, stating that she was supposedly arrested, had her limbs amputated, and was eventually killed.

The actress, known for her versatility in movie roles, clearly stated that she never knew where Saudi Arabia was on the map and had never been there.

Sola Sobowale revealed that she put her career on hold to focus on her children, stating that she did not expect anything in return even as she expressed her gratitude for God’s compensation despite the negative reports about her.

She shared how she picked up care jobs to cater for her children and how they persistently encouraged her to go back into acting, saying it was her “calling.” She left Nigeria in 2003 and returned to Nigeria in 2016 for the audition of “The Wedding Party.”

Speaking in parts, Sola said in the viral video;

“They killed me in Saudi Arabia, that I carried cocaine in Saudi Arabia, they got me arrested and there, they amputated my leg, my hand and I said to them ‘Please I’m a star in Nigeria, because of that kuku e pa mi, so they killed me. So when I got to Nigeria at the airport they just went berserk, they said ‘Sola Sobowale is dead now’ and I said ‘Do you believe in abracadabra?’ They said yes. ‘I have commanded everything back that’s why that’s why I’m back.’”

“So when I got to Nigeria, I said ‘Look, I’m alive. I’ve never been to Saudi Arabia. I don’t even know where Saudi Arabia is in the map. So how did I get there? How did they kill me there? So many negative things but to God be the glory, God has compensated me beautifully.”

Netizens React;

@tawakkalt_alab wrotei: “That was 2008 hajj. I was at Saudi Arabia performing hajj, on the day of ARAFAH, people were calling their family for prayers and blessings. Na my own immediate elder brother called and asked me Tawa n gbo won ni Sola Sobowale gbe drug wa Saudi won de ti pa,. I said haaa, Dauda leni Arafa that you are supposed to receive blessings.” 

adebisi_elizabet: “She made my childhood memories. God compensated her.” 

@mikeadealabi: “Egbon Teju! Thank you for this interview with Ma’am Sobowale. The values she shared resonated with me and refuels me more. What a phenomenon legend she is. God bless you greatly, Sir.” 

omo_ladelade: “A natural born actress, it’s abinibi and not ability, there’s no role that she was given that she would not interpret it even better than the way the script writer had intended it.” @sweet_olabisi “God really compensated you beautiful Momma.” 

Watch her speak here.