BIG BROTHER NAIJA: DEATH THREATS REAL, NOT PUBLICITY STUNT, SAYS MARIA'S HANDLER

When the team handling a Big Brother Naija "Shine Ya Eye contestant, Maria Benjamin's social media accounts revealed that they had received death threats, many felt it was a stunt to gather empathy for the housemate.

However, Gift Amadi, one of Maria's representatives, told Saturday Beats that the threats were real.

She said, "After we made it (threats) public, our team realised that the issue of the death threats was the main thing getting attention."

"There is no reason for us to have said such if it was not real. Some people said that other former contestants had played that card before and they are not lying. There have been proofs to back them up."

"That we didn't post it (screenshots of the threats) does not mean it didn't happen. If I really wanted to push the narrative, we could have posted it. I just didn't want to go that route, so we let it go. People called her unprintable names in messages on social media, which left me stunned because I didn't think these things go that far."

Amadi also described Maria as a rounded social Butterfly She said, "Maria is smart, intelligent and reserved. She is a lover who is very loyal and does not take nonsense. She is also a family-oriented person."