Junior Pope: Movie producer breaks silence on boat accident ...

Movie producer, Adanma Luke, has broken her silence on the boat accident that occurred during her new movie shoot in Delta State.

The accident claimed the lives of popular Nollywood actor, John Paul Odonwodo, and four others.

Mrs. Luke, in her first public comment on the incident, blamed the death of Junior Pope on his refusal to use a life jacket during the boat ride.

“On that shooting day, I saw my director. I saw Emeka. They were outside. My director was wearing a life jacket. Emeka, the D.O.P. was in a life jacket. There was still one other jacket which I don’t know who took it,” she said in a video clip uploaded on her Instagram handle on Saturday.

Giving more details, the filmmaker said, “My production manager said they saw one life jacket hanging so, they took it. He said they sent one to Junior Pope but he said it was dirty and didn’t take it. Those people with life jackets survived (the boat accident)."

“They also told me that when they were in the water trying to survive, Junior Pope was asking if everybody was okay. They even threw a gallon to him to use and hold himself up. But all of a sudden, they didn’t see him again.”

However, Mrs Luke did not confirm if the four other crew members who died in the boat accident had life jackets or not.

This comes after Junior Pope and four other actors drowned after their boat capsised in Anam River in Anambra State on Wednesday while returning from the location of a movie shoot.

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) had earlier said 12 individuals were in the ill-fated boat.

NIWA added that of the 12, seven were successfully rescued, two found dead, including Mr Odonwodo while three others – two females and one male – were declared missing.

The police in Anambra State, Friday, said they had recovered the bodies of the three missing Nollywood stars.

AGN’s moves

The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) had declared Thursday as ‘No Shoot Day’ for all Nollywood filmmakers and suspended movie production involving riverine areas indefinitely.

Making the declaration in a statement on Thursday, Emeka Rollas, National President of AGN, also announced the suspension of the production of the movie which led to the accident, ‘The other side of Life’, produced by Adamma Luke.

“Following the tragic incident of a boat mishap that claimed the life of Junior Pope and three other crew members at the waterside of River Niger Cable point Asaba on 10th of April, all films that involve riverine areas and boat riding are hereby suspended indefinitely."

“No shoot on all locations nationwide on Thursday, 11th April 2024 and the film titled ‘The Other Side of Life’ is suspended indefinitely,” the statement said.

It also barred actors from dealing with the movie producer until further notice.

The police in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria, have also begun an investigation to unravel any criminal liability in the cause of death of John Pope and others.

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