Nigerian Afro-house singer Niniola Apata has announced the death of her husband, Michael Ndika, in a series of posts shared on Instagram in the early hours of Wednesday.
The Grammy-nominated artiste revealed the loss in three brief messages accompanied by photographs of herself and her late husband.
“God took him,” she wrote in the first post.
In a second post, she added, “My husband died”.
In a third post, she wrote, “God took him. 13 years.”
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The circumstances surrounding Ndika’s death were not immediately disclosed.
Niniola has not issued any further statement beyond the messages posted on her Instagram Story, and no cause of death has been confirmed as of the time of this report.
Her final message appeared to indicate that the couple had been together for 13 years.
Private Marriage
Her announcement confirmed that the singer had been married in private.
The news came as a shock to many fans and members of the entertainment industry, not only because of Ndika’s death but also because it revealed a closely guarded aspect of the singer’s personal life.
Niniola, 39, had kept her marriage entirely out of the public eye and had never publicly identified her husband during their relationship.
As recently as October 2025, the singer denied reports that she was married during an interview on Yanga FM Lagos.
“I don’t care what anyone says about my personal life. I’m not a 12-year-old. I’m not married,” she said at the time, dismissing speculation about a secret union.
Before his death, Ndika, since 2011, served as the Chief Executive Officer of NaijaReview, a multimedia and digital entertainment platform focused on Afro-house, Afrobeats, and contemporary African music.
He was a Computer Science graduate from Lagos State University and Yabatech.
Like his marriage to Niniola, Ndika maintained a low profile throughout his career.
Niniola rose to prominence after emerging as one of the top contestants on Project Fame West Africa in 2013.
She went on to establish herself as one of Nigeria’s most distinctive musical voices, earning international recognition with her 2017 hit single, Maradona.
The song drew acclaim from global stars including DJ Snake, Drake, Timbaland, and Beyoncé.
She is also the elder sister of Nigerian singer Teni.
