If you look closely at the fabric of each case of gender-based violence, away from the primary perpetrator (who is often a man), you would find a complex list of enablers, some of which are also made up of men.

In the early hours of today, a twitter user @MayoksMichael shared a thread detailing the abuse his sister went through in the hands of Lil Frosh, an emerging Nigerian artist signed under Davido’s label, DMW. According to Michael, Lil Frosh had been abusing his sister who is also his client for almost a year, a fact he found out in June of this year while he was trying to connect her with a gig. According to Michael, his client who works as a video vixen, couldn’t accept the job as she still had bruises on her body and didn’t feel comfortable taking the gig in that state.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE THREAD @davido this is what your artist has been doing to my client. FROSH @UnclePamilerin please help me fight for justice #DomesticAbuse #DomesticViolence @LanumiLois @Fahrenthold @datcoolgaffy @Goldentoms_ pic.twitter.com/iTV1wf2ijq

— mayoks_michael (@MayoksMichael) October 5, 2020

Away from the sickening weight this story carries, there is something to be said about how long this abuse happened for and how Michael, the brother who knew about it, did nothing and even convinced his sister to get back with her abuser, Lil Frosh when he begged him to. Even though it is good to know that this devastating act is now in the open, it is however mind boggling that Michael let it go on for this long even after he was made aware of the situation. How do we begin to come to terms with this culture of protecting men’s reputation regardless of the deplorable acts they carry out? How does one overlook abuse when it is happening to one’s immediate family?

@lhilfrosh you are very wicked
I’m tired of trying to protect your image while you continually ruin her and break her into pieces.

She called one day crying that you were going to kill her and actually you were truly locking her inside preparing to beat not until I called her

— mayoks_michael (@MayoksMichael) October 5, 2020

From the top of my head, there is the patriarchal structure our society currently functions under. A structure that validates the protection of abusive men and permits an endless chain of violence against women and other sexual minorities. With the Lil Frosh situation, one begins to wonder what would have happened if Michael isn’t speaking up now, marking what we can only imagine is the end of that ordeal. We do know that the woman in this picture would have been saved from Lil Frosh’s snare.

Yes, it is exciting that this story has been brought to light, the abuse shouldn’t have lasted this long.

Nelson C.J

Nelson C.J is a culture writer with works in The New York Times, Xtra Magazine, OkayAfrica, Black Youth Project, AfroPunk, and a few other spaces. You can find him saving dog pictures on Twitter.