Multi-award-winning Nigerian gospel singer Asu Ekiye has announced the end of his marriage to Kunemofa Asu, after twenty-eight years, disclosed that the union collapsed in 2025 but that he chose to delay his public statement to allow time for personal reflection.
Ekiye, widely known as the “Prince of the Niger Delta,” made the announcement Thursday in a post on his Facebook page, confirming the separation to his followers without disclosing the reasons behind the breakdown of the marriage.
The singer and Kunemofa wed in 1998. Their union produced four children. Ekiye stated that the marriage ended a year before he chose to speak publicly, saying he wanted perspective and quiet acceptance before addressing the matter.
He wrote in the post: “After 28 years of a deeply personal journey of growth, experience, and reflection, I wish to announce, with a profound sense of sobriety and quiet resignation, that my marriage to Kunemofa Asu has come to an end.”
Ekiye added that he made the deliberate decision to wait before going public. “For the avoidance of doubt, this marriage ended a year ago. I have deliberately chosen to make this announcement only now, after allowing time to bring the perspective, clarity, and quiet acceptance that such a deeply personal transition deserves,” he stated.
He described the decision to speak as one guided by grace and dignity. “I choose to close this chapter with grace, gratitude, and dignity, while looking ahead to the possibilities of a new season,” he wrote in the same post.
Ekiye gave no further detail about the circumstances surrounding the end of the marriage, and Kunemofa had not issued a public statement as of the time of this report. The singer did not name any third parties or cite any legal proceedings in his announcement.
In a 2018 interview with Punch newspaper, Ekiye had described how he and Kunemofa came together, revealing that the two never dated in the conventional sense before their marriage.
He disclosed in that interview that when they met, their dreams aligned, their spirituality fused, their intellect agreed, and their chemistry cooperated, presenting the foundation of their relationship as one built on shared vision rather than a traditional courtship.
Ekiye also told Punch that he proposed to her on the street and that she nearly exploded with excitement at the proposal. He noted that Kunemofa took two weeks before she accepted, disclosing those details as part of a broader account of their early connection.
He described Kunemofa in that same 2018 interview as someone who met every criterion he had sought in a partner: beautiful, spiritual, highly focused, intelligent, motherly, enterprising, resourceful, and a true companion, according to his own words at the time.
Ekiye rose to national and regional prominence following his 2001 release “Woekilemo,” a record that established him as a leading voice in Nigerian gospel music and earned him wide recognition across the Niger Delta and beyond.
His catalogue expanded over the following years to include titles such as “Eniye,” “Dey by My Side,” “Seiyo,” “Miyebibo,” “Kareyo” featuring Eben, “Ebikamo,” and “Yemiyemo,” among other recordings that consolidated his standing in the gospel genre.
The separation announcement drew attention partly because of how long the marriage lasted, spanning nearly three decades, and because Ekiye chose to announce the split roughly a year after the marriage had already ended, citing the need for personal clarity.
Ekiye did not indicate in his post whether any formal divorce proceedings had taken place or were in progress, and he offered no comment on what his next steps would be beyond a general reference to a new season ahead.
The gospel singer has not granted any follow-up interviews on the matter since posting his statement on Thursday, and no representative for either party has issued additional comment on the separation.
