In 2025, we brought you the best of the worst relationships that Nigerians of all ages survived. From romantic betrayal to familial fallout, we wrote these stories for you, our readers, who stayed to read every single one.
Here are ten of the most “God forbid” and heartbreaking Sunken Ships.
I Lived With My Best Friend’s Girlfriend, and It Was the Worst Decision Ever
Lanre’s story is a painful reminder that proximity doesn’t always deepen friendship. What began as a hopeful move that Lanre thought would strengthen a two-decade bond instead exposed the cracks in their brotherhood.
Living under the same roof forced Lanre to confront not just racial and emotional abuse from someone he viewed as a sister-in-law, but the deeper betrayal of a friend who stayed silent in the face of his suffering. In the end, their friendship eroded slowly, one ignored boundary at a time.
Read their story here.
My Flatmates Didn’t Speak To Me Until They Moved out
This Sunken Ships episode showed how fragile adult friendships can be when hard or uncomfortable conversations come up. What felt like easy companionship with two new flatmates evaporated without warning or explanation.
Their silence and abrupt move left Faridah grieving not just the friendship but the lack of care that came with how their relationship ended.
Read her story here.
I Walked In On My Girlfriend And Her Flatmate
Even when the signs became hard to ignore, Tiwa chose to believe her girlfriend, Bidemi, when she said there was nothing between her and her clingy flatmate. Hoping that patience would smooth things over, Tiwa kept forgiving the flirting and other acts of microcheating. Walking in on the truth finally forced her to confront the reality she had spent months denying. The betrayal hurt, but the way Tiwa chose to move on was the real takeaway.
Read her story here.
27 Years After She Dumped Me, She Wants Me Back
You’ve heard of circling the block, but Babatunde’s girlfriend took it to a whole new level. She dumped him back in 1998 because of her parents’ tribalism. 27 years and two marriages later, she tried to give their love another chance.
Babatunde’s story raised uncomfortable questions about timing, regret, and whether love ever truly expires. While readers were shocked that she would want to try again, Babatunde unpacked the past and whether he was willing to reopen that chapter of his life.
Read his story here.
He Left Me For Another Girl And Saw Shege
Aduke thought that she had found love in her classmate, Michael, until he shocked her by leaving her for another classmate. Her heartbreak soon morphed into joy when she witnessed how that relationship treated him.
Aduke’s story is not about finding joy in the pain of others, but seeing that sometimes, failed relationships aren’t a loss. They sometimes hold the promise of better outcomes.
Read her story here.
I Thought I Made A New Friend, but She Turned Into A Demon
Mogbo thought she had found sisterhood in Mayowa, a friend she met at work. That belief didn’t last long. She was forced to change her mind after bearing the brunt of Mayowa’s insults, mood swings and emotional outbursts.
This Sunken Ships episode shows how emotional abuse can hide behind the mask of friendship. What started as a friendship slowly became something controlling and cruel, leaving one party constantly berated and second-guessing herself. It took one jarring public incident for her to finally see the relationship clearly and to burn those bridges.
Read her story here.
He Only Called Me When He Wanted My Body
Sayo got involved with Jeremiah after he slid into her DMs on TikTok. What started as a whirlwind romance slowly turned into emotional manipulation and sudden coldness, with Jeremiah completely changing from who he was when they first met. This forced Sayo to realise Jeremiah’s intentions were not as pure as he initially let on, and she shares how she handled the sudden change.
Read her story here.
Hey, if you’d like to share your own #SunkenShips story with Zikoko, fill out this form!
Tofunmi has cooked enough meals for her brothers to last a lifetime. After spending her teenage years responsible for feeding them, she grew to resent the role.
University gave her hope of escape, until a visit to her older brother reignited years of bottled-up anger. This Sunken Ships episode was relatable to readers with similar experiences with their siblings. For them, her older brother’s lack of empathy made this ending inevitable.
Read her story here.
I’m Glad I Kept My Office Romance A Secret
Despite her reservations about mixing business and pleasure, Hannah decided to date her co-worker, Teniola. As the relationship unfolded and eventually ended, she was grateful that she had kept it quiet at work. Secrets aren’t always rooted in shame. In Hannah’s case, it saved her from being the butt of the office gossip.
Read her story here.
Her Obsession With Becoming A Pastor’s Wife Ruined Our Friendship
Dunni and Theresa have been friends since secondary school. However, Theresa’s sudden desire to become a pastor’s wife — and her growing religious extremism — became a wedge in their closeness and the final straw that ended their friendship.
This story is proof that our longtime friends can evolve into people we no longer recognise. It’s important to know when a relationship has run its course.Read her story here.
Hey, if you’d like to share your own #SunkenShips story with Zikoko, fill out this form!
