The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, has revealed plans to sue Nollywood movie producer, Adanma Luke, over circumstances surrounding the death of popular actor, John Paul Odonwodo, better known as Junior Pope and four other crew members.
The Next Edition recalls that Junior Pope and four other Nollywood crew members drowned after their boat capsized on Anam River in Anambra State on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, while returning from a movie shoot.
In an interview on Arise TV on Friday, Emeka Rollas said their lawyers are already preparing documents, and he is waiting for the report from a committee set up to investigate the boat accident.
Rollas stated that the Association of Movie Producers and Adanma will hear from their lawyers once the report is submitted.
The AGN president added that a day after Junior Pope died, some actors still travelled by boat without life jackets.
He said, “Our lawyers are already preparing documents because this matter is actionable. I am only waiting for a small committee we have set up to give me the report on all the things that happened.
“I also learnt that not only the day that Junior Pope died, the previous day they still went on the waters without life jackets. At least the video that Junior Pope showed everybody on Instagram the previous day people on that boat weren’t wearing life jackets.
“I am waiting for this report, and as soon as I get the report, the Association of Movie Producers and the Adanma Luke Production will also hear from our lawyers.
“The other day, we had an actor who almost died on set because the producer hired a driver who doesn’t have a driver’s licence and also doesn’t know how to drive and while he was reversing, he hit the actor, Emmanuel. It was the Guild that took him for treatment, hospital, and everything. We spent millions of naira to get him back on track, and the producer was still saying,’Please, please.’
“This is not a profession for brothers or sisters. It is a business profession. If you are a producer, be a producer, and put money down. If you hire an actor, pay him, and he will act. It is not ‘abeg do this for me there is no money.”
