Cynthia Okereke and Clemson Cornel, alias Agbogidi, two well-known Nollywood actors and members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), have reportedly been abducted.
The information was first released in a statement made accessible to Premium Times on Friday by Monalisa Chinda, the director of communications for AGN.
According to Ms. Chinda’s statement, the actors were reported missing after their families verified they had not returned from a filming location in Ozalla Town, Enugu State.
“The two members were suspected of having been kidnapped, which has increased fear amongst members about the safety of actors filming in the country. Because of this sad development, the National President of the Guild, Ejezie Emeka Rollas, has instructed all Actors to avoid going to the outskirt of cities to film except full security cover is provided to ensure their safety,” the statement read.
Abductors of the Nollywood stars have reportedly established contacts with their families and are demanding a ransom to set them free.
Ejezie Emeka Rollas, the National President of the Guild, claimed that the kidnappers had already made contact with the victims’ relatives. According to him, they had asked for $100,000 to release the actors.
The kidnappers have made contact with the families and are demanding the sum of $100,000. We pray to God for his intervention and for Him to put confusion in their midst.
Ejezie Emeka Rollas
Rollas noted that the Guild was collaborating closely with various security personnel to secure the release of the abducted actors. The same thing was happening all over the nation, he claimed, so the guild was unsure what to expect from them.
We are also working closely with the different security operatives, but we are not sure what to expect from them because the same thing is happening everywhere in the country
Ejezie Emeka Rollas
Context
In the past, kidnappings in Nigeria had greatly affected Nollywood actors.
A Nollywood actor named Pressing Forward was taken hostage in Imo State in June 2021. After his eventual escape from captivity, his supporters gathered to celebrate with him.
Veteran actor, Pete Edochie was abducted in 2009, but released after paying a ransom. Nkem Owoh was kidnapped and released after a ransom of 1.4 million pounds was paid.
The actor, also known as “Osuofia,” was taken hostage when he was driving on the Enugu-Port Harcourt motorway.
Following the kidnapping of his father, Kenneth Odoputa, actor Uche Odoputa made an appeal for help in June. His father had been in captivity for weeks, he said in an Instagram post.
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