May Yul-Edochie, the estranged wife of Nollywood actor Yul Edochie, has taken her fight against years of alleged online harassment to a Lagos High Court, naming her own former legal representative among those she holds responsible for the attacks.
The lawsuit, filed through her current lawyers at Grey-law Partners, targets Yinka Omolola Theisen, Emeka Ugwuonye and several unidentified operators of social media accounts across Facebook, Instagram and X, seeking perpetual injunctions to stop the alleged harassment and compel the removal of disputed content from all platforms.
May’s inclusion of a former lawyer in the suit is among its most striking elements. She alleges the individual, who once represented her in a legal matter, breached solicitor-client confidentiality by publicly disclosing information obtained during that professional relationship, turning privileged access into ammunition against her.
To understand why she has been a target, it helps to go back to 2022, when Yul Edochie publicly announced that he had taken a second wife, actress Judy Austin, with whom he had fathered a child.
The announcement blindsided May, who had been married to Yul for over two decades and shared four children with him. The fallout played out almost entirely in public, making May one of the most discussed figures in Nigerian entertainment that year and drawing both sympathy and, from some corners, sustained hostility online.
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According to a 126-paragraph affidavit filed in support of her suit, that hostility never stopped. She alleges a coordinated campaign spanning several years, involving manipulated photographs, AI-generated images, fabricated stories, insulting caricatures and direct death wishes, all designed, she claims, to humiliate her and damage her commercial standing.
Her personal contact details were also allegedly leaked online, exposing her and her family to direct harassment beyond social media.
She had attempted to resolve the situation without going to court. Cease-and-desist notices were sent in September 2025 to two of the named defendants, demanding takedowns, public retractions and apologies. Instead, she alleges, the attacks intensified, with new accounts created specifically to continue after earlier ones were flagged.
She is seeking ₦1 billion in damages from Ugwuonye, ₦500 million from Theisen, and court orders directing social media platforms to identify and disclose information about anonymous account operators behind the alleged campaign.
Justice Abdul-Raheem Tejumade Muyideen has directed that court processes be served across all known contact channels for the defendants. The matter has been adjourned for a service report.
Pulse
