Popular TikTok content creator Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, has alleged that he was sexually abused by a football coach during his teenage years, claiming the traumatic experience ended his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Peller made the revelation while speaking on the latest episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast, saying the alleged incidents occurred when he was between 14 and 15 years old.
According to him, he had always dreamed of playing football professionally and believes his life could have taken a completely different path.
“I’m supposed to be at the World Cup currently,” Peller said.
He explained that his football team usually assembled at an uncompleted building before heading to the training ground. Players who arrived late were often fined, but because he could not always afford to pay, he claimed he became a frequent target of the coach.
Peller alleged that the coach would deliberately ask the other players to proceed to the football field while keeping him behind.
“He would ask the other players to go to the field and tell me to stay behind because I came late. Then he would call me closer and start pressing my breasts,” he alleged.
He also recounted another incident in Agric, Ikorodu, where the coach allegedly invited him to his one-room apartment under the pretext of helping him collect an item.
According to Peller, after he handed over the item, the coach allegedly removed his clothes and asked him to lie on the bed.
“I told him, ‘Come to the bed? I only came to bring what you asked for,’” he recalled.
Peller further alleged that the coach attempted to convince him by promising him more playing time.
“He told me not to worry and that he would allow me to play full matches,” he claimed.
The TikTok star said he later stepped outside after seeing some children playing football nearby and briefly joined them. He alleged that the coach became angry, called him back into the room and locked the door.
Realising he might be in danger, Peller said he asked to use the restroom. According to him, once the coach unlocked the door, he took the opportunity to escape and never returned.
Reflecting on the incident, Peller said the experience forced him to give up football completely and eventually pushed him into content creation.
“That was when I became wise and started doing my tap, tap, tap,” he said, referring to the beginning of his livestreaming career.
He also revealed that his online journey was not easy at first, saying his livestreams initially attracted only two or three viewers before meeting fellow content creator Jarvis, whose collaborations helped boost his popularity.
Peller made the allegations during the podcast. The claims have not been independently verified, and there has been no public response from the coach mentioned in his account.
Source: The Honest Bunch Podcast
