Filmmaker Jeta Amata and actress Mbong were once the toast of the Nigerian Film Industry. Their love story, love life, and marriage was the perfect Celebrity life. Nollywood lovers equally anticipated movies where they worked together because it was always a blockbuster. You see, the lovebirds had magic they brought with them to the silver screens.
Shockingly, Jeta and Mbong’s love went sour in 2013 after 10 years of marriage and a daughter between them. By the year 2014, they were officially divorced. Surprisingly, their marriage didn’t crash bitterly but on a friendly level. They weren’t all done and dusted. They remained friendly exes and continued to work together professionally for many years after their divorce.
But following recent developments, it looks like their friendly relationship has degenerated into them becoming enemies as they wage a controversial social media war with their daughter, Veno, at the receiving end. Jeta, on June 17 of 2021, had taken to his Instagram page to call out Mbong for abandoning their 13 years old daughter, Veno, since the beginning of the year while insinuating that she has been trying to kidnap their daughter as well.
Although Mbong has remained silent about the accusations, her friends came out to defend her saying he is the actual kidnapper and he used his own daughter as collateral for a huge sum of money he owes the hotel he is lodged in. To Make matters worse, they threatened to call the FBI on him and have him extradited by Interpol for Kidnapping a minor from the US.
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So Nollywood fans are wondering who is lying and wonder how their love story moved from a beautiful married life to divorce to friendly exes, and most recently, to a dangerously toxic level.
Renowned Nollywood producer, director, and writer Jeta Amata sure needs no introduction. It’s no secret that he comes from a family of veteran filmmakers. Names such as Fred Amata, Zack Amata, and Ifoghale Amata sure ring a bell. The 46-year-old father of two produced his first movie at the age of 21 and over the years produced some of the best movies to come out of Nollywood, including Amazing Grace, Inale, and Black November. Mbong Amata, on the other hand, is a Nollywood actress and model who started her career as early as the age of 16. The 36-year-old ex-beauty queen now shuttles between Nigeria and Los Angeles, US.
Apart from the fame they garnered over the years, one of the most beautiful highlights of their career can be traced back to 2008, when they tied the knot. Friends, family, and colleagues alike attested to the fact that their match was indeed made in heaven. For another 10 years, they proved this to everyone, including Nollywood lovers who believed they made magic whenever they collaborated for a movie.
Interestingly, their love story didn’t start in 2008 but as far back as 2001 when they first met. Mbong, who was only 16 at the time, met Jeta at an audition, and they immediately clicked. But as any decent man, Jeta patiently waited for 2 years until she was 18 before asking her out. Of course, she said yes, and so they began dating. 5 years after she won the Most Beautiful Girl in Akwa Ibom contest and 4 years after she came 2nd runner-up in the 2004 Miss Nigeria, they tied the nuptial knot. And in the same year, they welcomed the only child between them, a daughter named Veno Amata. For years they were the toast of Nollywood, and it appeared that their joy was full. Sadly, it was the complete opposite. In 2013 they separated on friendly terms and were officially divorced a year after.
Despite the breakup, they maintained a cordial relationship, becoming even more popular for being friendly exes. Their co-parenting game was ranked among the highest in Nollywood with many using them as an example. They often hung out and continued to produce blockbuster movies together, including the world-famous 2012 movie, Black November.
While working on the set of Black November, Mbong shared a photo of them together and wrote, “Our beliefs made us ‘ people to each other but our behavior towards each other to it to a whole new level! Out here on set to support one of the best out of the continent of African Directo, Jeta Amata #FriendlyExes.”
Even after Jeta moved on with a new woman, Vanessa Teemsma who he welcomed a son in 2019, they remained friendly exes.
Fast-forward to the year 2021, it looks like their friendly exes relationship is rolling in the mud as it degenerates into a whole new toxic level threatening the mental health of their 13-year-old daughter, Veno Amata.
This is coming after Jeta raised an alarm about the whereabouts of his ex-wife via his Instagram page on June 17 of 2021. Explaining that their daughter is worried sick about her mother, he stated that Mbong had not contacted them since the beginning of the year. He went ahead to share a video of their daughter begging her mother to reach out to her, adding that she loves and misses her.
Following a deafening silence from Mbong’s end, Jeta took another step further to wash their dirty laundry in public. He first said he suspects that Mbong is missing, going by their last conversation, and then went ahead to label both her and her family kidnappers. He said he invited Mbongs mother to see her granddaughter. Rather than show up as a caring grandmother, she came with police officers who tried to take his daughter away. Alleging Mbong’s mother wants to raise her grandchild under violent conditions and with old men around, Jeta insisted that if Mbong was conscious, she would never allow her mother to take her child. He then insisted his daughter would get pregnant on or before she clocks 16 years.
Seeing as Mbong is not up to the task of responding to the allegation or shying away from social media drama, her friends swiftly took to setting the records straight.
A lady on Instagram called Stingy Baron claims to be a close friend of Mbong. She called Jeta a liar, saying he is a scriptwriter that posted a script to manipulate people.
Elaborating on the issue, she said Mbong is not missing but in her house and Jeta is very much aware of this. She added that their daughter Veno is currently locked up and maltreated because Jete used her as collateral for over 2 million Naira debt he owes to the hotel he is lodged in. Stingy Baron insisted that Jeta is lying on the kidnap allegations, and Mbong flew to her mother to get her daughter from him.
Veteran Nollywood Actress, Georgina Onuoha, a friend of Mbong, accused Jeta of kidnapping. She said he ran away from the US with their daughter without informing Mbong. She threatened to report him to the FBI and other child care agencies in the US if he doesn’t stop the social media attention and return Veno to her mother in the US. But not without first urging him to stop using their daughter as a pawn in whatever issues he has with Mbong.
Mbong Response
Coming days after her ex-husband called out her for being an irresponsible mother and plotting to kidnap her daughter, Mbong finally broke the ice Monday, June 28 of 2021 to give her own side of the story. She made it clear that Jeta is as manipulative as they come and he is using their daughter to punish her for whatever wrong she did to him in the past. According to the star actress, she very much wants to be in her daughter’s life, but Jeta fought her and forced her into a standstill.
She said Jeta got full custody of their daughter and doesn’t let her play a motherly role in their 13-year-old daughter’s life, and neither doesn’t allow her to visit or spend time with her. She said Jeta only allows her to reach their daughter via phone calls which only happens whenever he feels like it. And because the situation is emotionally draining her she decided not to stay in contact with her ex-husband and her daughter for that long.
Finally, Mbong noted that she is not missing like Jeta earlier alleged and she is living well and fine in the US.
Hmm, and we guess without a doubt, the drama will continue!
Who do you think is lying between the two?
Are you shocked that their friendly exes relationship degenerated to this toxic level?
Are you surprised that the child between them is caught up in their mess?
