‘I almost committed suicide the first time I was jailed’ – Ibinabo Fiberesima

Nollywood actress and President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, has revealed that she almost committed suicide when she was sent to Kirikiri prison in 2009.

Fiberesima, in 2005, accidentally killed a Lagos-based medical doctor, Dr Giwa Suraj, in an auto accident along Lekki–Epe expressway, Lagos.

But a few days ago, the Appeal Court dismissed her appeal and affirmed the High Court’s judgement, which had initially sentenced her to five years imprisonment for manslaughter.

Back in jail and unable to make bail, an interview she granted Vanguard, a week before the Appeal Court ruling, has surfaced.

In the interview, Fiberesima revealed that she recently battled health challenges, as lumps were found, and removed from her breasts, hence her crusade to actualize the health insurance scheme of the AGN.

“The welfare of my members comes before any other thing. We must continue to push on our health insurance scheme for our members. I have my own health challenges too. I went for a test and they found a growth- a lump in my breasts which I had to remove. So, if we don’t do these tests continuously anything can happen.”

“We usually take our lives for granted. You must continue to go for routine medical examinations. That’s what AGN is all about. We are here to ensure that our members are properly taken care of. We can’t get our money in the bank to pay for our health insurance because they froze the account. I opened the account before the case started.”

“We are back on track and everything is beginning to happen again. From next week, we would start touring all the states with a free computerized eye screening exercise for all members. We are getting back to our rhythm after all the distractions. “Our members are the ones that have suffered.”

“I think it is time we helped them and pay attention to them. We have lost a lot of our members to death recently. It is very painful because we have not been able to pay for insurance scheme following the crises in the guild.”

“Every time they want to throw things at me, they would bring it up. I didn’t steal anybody’s money and I am not a criminal. I was involved in an accident and I have internally remained sorry that it happened. They said I am going to jail again. I almost died the first time I was sent to jail in 2009. I almost committed suicide. But thank God that He brought me out of that depression.”