Some celebrities in the nation’s entertainment sector on Monday expressed shock at the demise of Nollywood actor, Muna Obiekwe, who passed away on Sunday due to kidney complications.
Speaking to Newsmen in separate interviews, the entertainers lamented the death of their colleague and decried the actions of one Twitter impersonator who used his name to cause confusion.
The news of the actor’s death hit the Social Media on Sunday evening, with various reports claiming that he died of kidney failure at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos same day.
Reports had it that Obiekwe, who was based in Enugu, had been suffering from the ailment for some time but kept it a secret from friends and colleagues.
It was said that the actor had become broke as a result of the cost of managing the ailment, but rejected seeking public assistance because he didn’t want to disgrace himself.
A fake Twitter account @MunaObiekwe had caused confusion by denying his death but later came out clean and tweeted an apology for its actions.
“Anyway, sorry guys for d deceit, Munaobiekwe is truly dead and I’m signing out from this account…. Sorry guys.’’
As at the time of filing in this report, the Twitter account had an estimated 12, 500 followers, and was following 120 people and had Tweeted 2, 249 times.
Speaking to newsmen, actor, Chinedu Ikedieze, aka, Aki, said: “I find it difficult to believe but it’s true and very unfortunate for the Nigerian movie industry and the youth as a whole.’’
Aki condemned the spate at which celebrity Twitter accounts are being hacked or cloned, and even narrated how he discovered those impersonating him on Twitter and Facebook.
Kenneth Okolie, an actor and winner of Mr Nigeria 2010 said: “Death is a very sad thing.
“Losing someone is sad news. It’s even worse when it’s someone dear to you and one you hold in high esteem.
“Muna Obiekwe’s death is indeed a shocker and my heart goes out to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace.’’
Okolie said those impersonating others on Social Media were jobless people who had a lot of worthless time on their hands to fool themselves and deceive others.
He advised them to get a life and work for their own path and not wear someone else’s skin.
Bethel Njoku (Senator), a comedian said: “Muna’s death is a sad start for Nollywood for the year. He was a good actor and one of the prominent daring acts, it’s a sad loss for Nigeria.’’
He called the creation of fake celebrity Social Media accounts a ‘State Crime’.
“I hope the one who was operating Muna’s Social Media account is dead by now because the person he was impersonating is dead, so he or she should die with him in solidarity for his fraud.’’
Micah Aruochaa, comedian and On-Air Personality said: “I was heartbroken because he was a fellow I admired and even though our paths never crossed.
“I saw him as a colleague in the entertainment industry and I pray God has mercy on us the remaining ones.’’
Daniel Lloyd an actor said: “It’s so painful to refer to him as the past now because he inspired me a lot in acting.
“He is the kind of actor that says a lot with his facial expressions than with words and that’s something most actors lack these days. May his gentle soul rest in peace.’’
In the same vein, Victor Osuagwu, Chairman Actors Guild of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, described the development as shocking and heartbreaking.
Osuagwu told newsmen that the guild received the earlier in the day and are making further enquiries.
“We are not making any public statement yet until we conclude our investigation into his death, so that we can make a statement based on facts and not rumours”, he said.
In his reaction, Nonso Diobi, another renowned thespian, described Obiekwe’s demise as unfortunate and untimely.
“He has been living with this ailment for sometime before it got to this stage, if only he had reached out to the public, the situation might have been different.
“I wish him blissful eternal rest, while my heartfelt condolences go out to his family”, he said.
Reports have it that Obiekwe was a popular Nollywood actor whose later works became controversial as a result of some explicit sexual content.
In one of his controversial works; “Pregnant Hawker’’, he was alleged to have grabbed the breasts of actress, Biola Ige, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Both later denied ever acting such a scene in the movie and claimed the pictures which had gone viral was doctored and “photo shopped’’ by detractors.
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