For weeks now, Nollywood conversations online have kept returning to one name: Ekene Umenwa.
From old friendship tensions resurfacing, to fresh social media accusations, the actress has found herself at the center of multiple overlapping controversies involving fellow actress Destiny Etiko, upcoming actress Adanma Waller (popularly known as Priscawalls), actress Alexer Peres, and comedian Deacon Famous.
While some parts of the unfolding drama are backed by reports and public statements, other parts exist mainly as rumours. What is clear is that by February 2026, the situation had evolved into a full-blown public fallout that continues to trend across social media platforms
Who is Ekene Umenwa?
Ekene Umenwa is a Nigerian film actress cum producer known for blending Nollywood acting with strong personal branding around faith, family and lifestyle content. She rose to wider recognition after appearing in early career projects such as Black Choir, and has since built a steady presence in Nollywood films.
Her public image often reflects her Christian faith, which she has openly said influenced her career decisions and public identity.
In 2023, Ekene’s personal life moved further into the spotlight when she announced her traditional marriage, sharing the milestone publicly with fans and followers. By 2024, she was also sharing updates about starting family life and relocating abroad with her husband, presenting the transition as part of her personal and spiritual growth journey.
By the mid-2020s, Ekene had built a reputation as one of the visible mid-generation Nollywood faces. This has helped grow her fan base but has also placed her more frequently in the center of public conversations when controversies emerge.
How the Situation Built Over Time
Deacon Famous: Social Media Tension and Friendship Rift
Ekene Umenwa and Deacon Famous were once known as best friends in the Nigerian entertainment world. They supported each other publicly and were often seen together, giving fans and followers the impression that they had a strong bond. That friendship, however, began showing clear signs of strain around March 2025, when netizens noticed something unusual. It was discovered that both Ekene Umenwa and Deacon Famous had unfollowed each other on Instagram, a move that sparked widespread speculation about tension between them. This unfollowing came just a couple of days after Deacon Famous’ wedding in Asaba, and many fans immediately wondered if whatever had happened at that event had contributed to the rift.
The initial social media fallout was linked by bloggers and gossip pages to a birthday message Umenwa posted for someone from Deacon Famous’ past, specifically his ex‑girlfriend, actress Ada Uli. According to those reports, Ekene publicly wished Ada a happy birthday right around the time of Deacon Famous’ wedding, and that gesture irked people close to him, including his wife. Some claimed his wife was displeased that Umenwa maintained ties with her husband’s former partner, which many felt contributed to their social media unfollowing.
While neither Ekene Umenwa nor Deacon Famous immediately explained what the real cause was at the time, Deacon Famous later hinted that the public rumours about his wife being the reason were not entirely accurate. In a later social‑media comment, he said he unfollowed Ekene for a different reason that he wasn’t ready to fully disclose yet, suggesting that there was more beneath the surface than the gossip made it seem.
Months after the unfollow incident, in February 2026, Deacon Famous openly addressed the situation in a series of videos and statements that brought the feud into the public eye in a much bigger way. In these posts he didn’t shy away from sharing specific allegations against Ekene Umenwa, claiming that their fallout extended far beyond social media drama and involved personal and professional issues that escalated over time.
In his videos, Deacon Famous said that he had stood by Umenwa through significant moments, even claiming he supported her wedding financially and helped make her more visible online. He stated that after their initial disagreement, they tried to reconcile and even worked together on plans for his own wedding.
But he alleged that Umenwa did not show up for a project she’d agreed to, despite him arranging travel and accommodation for the crew, and later repeatedly postponed commitments without explanation. According to him, her absence and unresponsiveness caused frustration and tension before his wedding.
What followed, he claimed, was a series of actions on Umenwa’s part that he found deeply upsetting. Among these allegations were claims that Ekene called his spiritual mother multiple times, even after being told not to, and made threatening statements implying she would be responsible if anything happened to him. He said she also allegedly spoke negatively about his wife, including comments about being older than him and that he married her because he was seeking US citizenship, and in some cases body‑shamed him in her presence. These actions, he claimed, contributed to public backlash and affected his professional opportunities with some people no longer wanting to work with him due to what he described as “badmouthing” from Ekene or her circle.
In another strongly worded public statement, Deacon Famous issued a warning to Ekene Umenwa, saying that if she pushed him further he might reveal more things from her time in America. This escalated the feud further and made some fans worry that the back‑and‑forth could continue to intensify.
Throughout these public exchanges, reactions online have been mixed. Some followers sided with Deacon Famous and felt he was justified in clearing the air and defending his reputation and his wife; others reminded people that there are always multiple sides to every story and cautioned against assuming everything shared publicly is the full truth.
Ekene Umenwa has not, as of the latest reports, released any official statement detailedly addressing allegations Deacon Famous has made. She has however continued to post on social media, including shares about her life and moments with her family.
Priscawalls (Adanma Waller): The U.S. Connection and Social Media Explosion
Adanma Waller, popularly known as Priscawalls, is a U.S.-based Nigerian influencer cum up-and-coming actress.
Priscawalls became part of the public conversation surrounding Ekene Umenwa in February 2026 after releasing a viral video that accused the actress of privately speaking negatively about her colleagues while presenting a humble and positive image publicly. This video quickly circulated across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, igniting debates among netizens.
According to the viral content, Priscawalls alleged that Ekene had made disparaging remarks about several Nollywood figures, including Destiny Etiko, and challenged her to publicly deny the claims. In her video, Priscawalls stated:
“I dare her to come out and deny any of these things… then I will do a fresh video with a long list of everybody and what she said about them.”
The video was captioned:
“One lesson I learnt from my encounter with Ekene is, ‘You are enjoying the story today, tomorrow you might become the topic’ Ekene said lots of ill things about her colleagues , everyone of them had smelly baggage, she didn’t say it to just to me even, infront of my friends when they visit, from Destiny Etiko, Fessa, Ruby , Amarachi Pino Pino , Lizzy Gold, Chioma Chijioke , Onyinye okafor, Onny’s Wife, Chinwe Isaac, Uche Nancy and her daughters, even Marymic that she was her ambassador, she rubbished the product infront of everybody here, everyone of them has a bad backlog except her the Saint, ….I thought I was being entertained with celebrity gossip, not knowing that the broom that was used to sweep out the first wife will be waiting for the second wife. I dare her to come out and deny any of this things then, I will do a fresh video with a long list of everybody and what she said about them, when they hear it, definitely they will know if it’s cooked up by me or it came from her.”
The claims drew immediate attention because Priscawalls reportedly had a personal connection with Ekene. Reports indicate that Ekene stayed with Priscawalls during her time in the United States while managing travel and personal matters in 2024, when she relocated abroad.
This prior relationship gave weight to Priscawalls’ video, as she positioned herself as someone who had witnessed or been privy to aspects of Ekene’s private interactions.
Despite the virality of the video, there has been no reaction from Ekene.
Alexer Peres: Instagram Allegations and Fallout with Destiny Etiko
Rising actress and Harrysong’s ex-wife, Alexer Peres, became a focal point of public discussion in early 2026 after she shared a series of Instagram Stories outlining her personal grievances. These statements, which quickly circulated across multiple platforms, tied together longstanding professional tensions, personal interactions, and broader controversies connected to Ekene Umenwa.
In her Instagram posts hours ago, Alexer recounted the origins of her fallout with Destiny Etiko and explained how a certain “Madam Jesus second mother” who many believe is Ekene Umenwa factored into the situation. She wrote about how the disagreement began when she was given a lead role in a production that involved Ekene’s sister, alleging that this caused friction because her presence on set was interpreted as a threat or source of jealousy.
According to Alexer, Ekene allegedly communicated with Destiny Etiko, who then blocked Alexer on Instagram, despite the fact that Alexer had never met Ekene personally and had not been following her account prior to the incident. She expressed that the situation was fuelled by third-party dynamics rather than direct confrontation, and emphasized her frustration over how reputations were affected through indirect means, explaining that she had prayed for the truth to emerge so that the public would see the reality of what had transpired.
Alexer elaborated on how she perceived malicious intent, stating that she had been misrepresented and her name was spoiled due to the claims made by Ekene and her sister. She described the situation as one where pretenders caused harm behind the scenes, implying that personal and professional jealousy intersected to create a tense and convoluted dispute. She highlighted that she had only been involved in the situation because of the professional project she was assigned to, yet the ripple effects reached her personal reputation and her social media interactions, demonstrating the powerful role of indirect influence in Nollywood networks.
Screenshots of her Instagram Stories circulated widely online, and entertainment blogs confirmed that she had publicly shared these statements, lending credibility to the fact that her account reflected her genuine experience, even if it remains one side of the story. While she detailed her perception of Ekene’s actions, such as allegedly manipulating Destiny Etiko and influencing social circles to her detriment, no independent verification of these claims has been made, nor has Ekene or Destiny issued a public rebuttal addressing Alexer’s assertions.
In her words:
“Finally God has brought out the truth.
Madam Jesus second mother
Evil in disguise
The major reason I fell out with destiny etiko was her and her kid sister, that one went to lie to her madam Jesus second mother sisterThe next thing she blocked me on ig mind you l haven’t met her before in my life, and I wasn’t even following her, but I like and watch her movies sometimes, it was her sister I met on set, this actress wasn’t happy I was giving lead role while her sister was there, she called destiny to spoil me to her Omo
I’m not surprised I only prayed that one day, everything will come out and this is the day.
Pretenders do the worst
It is well
Plus all the things the sister said about destiny to me.
I don’t know if she thought I would tell destiny about it
Na once dem spoil my name.”
Destiny Etiko: The Silent Centre of the Feud
Destiny Etiko, one of Nollywood’s most celebrated actresses, has found herself at the center of a controversy that spans multiple figures, including Ekene Umenwa, Deacon Famous, Priscawalls, and Alexer Peres, yet she has remained largely silent, making her role both pivotal and enigmatic.
Recall Alexer Peres’ statements, in which she detailed a falling out with Destiny that she attributed in part to interactions involving Ekene Umenwa and her sister.
Also,Priscawalls’ statement that Ekene reportedly told her Destiny Etiko hits her mum also played a part in the latter’s involvement.
In response to these claims, Destiny who calls Ekene her sister, subtly responded on Instagram on February 13. She wrote:
“Am i dreaming 💭
REALLY 😳 😮
I tot we are sisters 👯♀️
Why the lies 💔 😭.”“Why my mothers 💔 😮.”
Fast forward to Monday, February 16, Ekene and Destiny seem to have buried the hatchet off social media, as a check on their instagram accounts show they are back to following each other.
Hinting at the reunion, Destiny shared a post with the caption: “Let love lead.”
Conclusion: A Multi-Layered Feud in the Social Media Era
The 2026 controversy surrounding Ekene Umenwa illustrates how celebrity friendships, professional rivalry, and social media exposure can collide. From Deacon Famous’ detailed allegations, Priscawalls’ viral video, Alexer Peres’ Instagram revelations, to Destiny Etiko’s silent position, the feud spans personal, professional, and social dimensions.
As the situation continues to unfold online, it reflects a broader trend in Nollywood: public scrutiny and social media amplification have made private disputes highly visible, and reputation management has become as critical as career success.
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