Actor’s death: AGN suspends film producer indefinitely

• Eye witness links mishap to boat driver’s recklessness
• Firm threatens lawsuit against producer over safety issues

Following the sudden demise of a Nollywood actor, John Paul Odonwodo popularly known as ‘Junior Pope’ and the missing of four others, the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has suspended a filmmaker, Adanma Luke indefinitely.

AGN President, Emeka Rollas, in a statement, also announced films involving riverine areas and boat riding have been suspended indefinitely.

He further directed that no movie shootings will occur yesterday, in any location nationwide as a mark of honour to the departed.

The talented actor and four of his colleagues reportedly drowned on Wednesday while returning from a movie shoot titled: “Another Side of Life”, produced by Luke, after their boat capsised at the waterside of River Niger Cable Point Asaba, Delta State.

Junior Pope was confirmed dead after his body was found and was taken to three different hospitals.

Aggrieved over the death of the actor, the AGN President said no actor is allowed to work with Luke as a producer till further notice, while the guild keep searching for the bodies of the remaining persons. He prayed for the repose of their souls.

However, an eye witness has narrated how popular Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, died in a boat mishap in Anambra State.

According to him, one of the boat drivers “carelessly tried to behave like James Bond by dangerously attempting to catch a ‘cruise’ on the water, which caused a collision with another boat.”

The witness, a movie director, said the accident happened on their way back from a movie site.

He noted that the death of the actor and some crew members was simply caused by carelessness.

He said: “The driver of the first boat started behaving like James Bond. Maybe, to impress Junior Pope and show off. When the driver of the second boat saw him, he also joined the James Bond stunts.

“They swerved dangerously on the water, resulting in a boat collision. The speed boat crew did not have life jackets, which are generally hired out by another group of persons.

“The death of the actor and some crew members was a product of carelessness. When the tragedy occurred, the wife was promptly summoned to the site and witnessed them hauling her husband’s lifeless corpse out of the water. I believe some people are still missing.

“I read somewhere that a sacrifice was made before Junior Pope’s body was taken away. I am not aware of that because I did not witness such.”

Meanwhile, a law firm, Newworth LLP has threatened legal action against the parties responsible, including the film producer, Luke, for neglecting basic safety rules of the crew members on set.

The lead partner of the firm, Ayo Ademiluyi in a statement yesterday, said the parties are to answer for their grievous, egregious and irresponsible conduct of not doing the needful to secure the lives of professionals who have signed on to their projects.

Ademiluyi lamented that Nollywood make up artist, Abigail Frederick, who is the Vice Chairman of the Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria (CDGN) Akwa Ibom State, the light man and the sound man, all three members of their client’s association and one other fellow are yet to be discovered from the waters on Wednesday April 10, 2024.

“A close monitoring of the social media feed of Frederick posted on her WhatsApp status, includes her previous day’s post of their trip over water without life jackets for herself and the others in the boat apparently manned by the same fellow in Pope’s video.”

“The true and correct narrative is that the boat mishap happened on the way back from the location shoot.

“The lessons of this Black Wednesday are not lost on our clients. We have the instructions of our clients to pursue this matter to its logical conclusion to show respect for the memories of the departed and to ensure that never again will the lives of anyone on set be treated with unconscionable levity,” Ademiluyi declared.