‘People were laughing, I was dying inside’ – Comedian Bovi recalls working after mother’s kidnap, death

Popular Nigerian comedian and actor, Bovi Ugboma, has recounted how he continued performing professionally while dealing with the kidnapping and later death of his mother.

Bovi, whose real name is Abovi Ugboma, made the revelation in a recent interview, recalling that his mother was kidnapped in 2012 while he was attending an event in Ilashe, Lagos.

According to him, he received the distressing news during the event but had to continue working after making some calls to address the situation.

“So in 2012 my mom was kidnapped, and I was called, but I was in Ilashe doing an event. I had to suck it up. Made a few calls. Ran back, continued working, doing the event,” he said.

Bovi said he continued with the event despite being emotionally distressed, noting that the audience was unaware of what he was going through at the time.

“I was just going through the motions, and people were laughing. My soul wasn’t there. And then she got rescued hours later,” he added.

The comedian also recalled the period following his mother’s death in January 2016, when he was booked to host the 60th birthday celebration of Senator Ben Bruce the following month.

Bovi said he was conflicted about accepting the engagement because he was still mourning his mother and questioned whether working so soon after her death was insensitive.

“When she passed in 2016, she passed in January, and in February Ben Bruce was having his 60th birthday, and they wanted me to host. So I was conflicted that, do I do this?” he said.

He explained that he eventually honoured the commitment despite his grief.

“Was I insensitive for working when the person who gave birth to me was no more? But I went ahead and did the event. People were laughing and they didn’t even know I was dying inside. I was really, really a hot mess at the time,” Bovi said.

He also recalled that after performing on stage, he broke down in tears because of the emotions surrounding his mother’s death.

Bovi’s account highlights the challenges entertainers can face when professional commitments coincide with difficult personal circumstances.