On August 11, 2023, Big Brother Naija All Stars housemate Venita Akpofure made a controversial comment about the Tiv people of Benue State. In a conversation with other housemates, she said that “Tiv men give their wives to visitors for entertainment purposes.”
Her comment sparked outrage among the Tiv people, and many people called for her to apologize. On August 12, 2023, the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, issued a statement in which he warned Akpofure to retract her statement and apologize to the Tiv people, or face legal action.
On August 13, 2023, Akpofure released a statement apologizing to the Tiv people. She said that her statement was “misconstrued” and that she “never intended to make any kind of malicious or slanderous comment towards their people.”