In the wake of the actor Junior Pope’s passing, the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has put a stop to any filming in riverine areas.

On his way to a filming site on Wednesday, Pope, whose real name is John Paul Odonwodo, slipped into the River Niger in Asaba, Delta state.

He was reportedly accompanied by a few other actors.

The actor passed away as a result of the boat accident, according to AGN national secretary Abubakar Yakubu.

A few hours later, Yakubu said the actor “was alive but in a coma”.

But on Thursday morning, Emeka Rollas, president of the AGN, confirmed the death of Pope.

Rollas, who had earlier announced that Pope was “alive”, said: “My first post was out of excitement when we noticed his tingling fingers”.

In a follow-up statement, the AGN president said the production of the movie titled ‘Another Side of Life’, which the crew members were going to before losing their lives, has also been suspended.

The AGN president also instructed that no one should work with Adamma Luke, the producer of the movie, “until further notice”.

Rollas also declared Thursday, April 11 as ‘No Shoot Day’ for all filmmakers.

“Following the tragic incident of boat mishap that claimed the life of Mr. John Paul Odonwodo aka Junior Pope and four other crew members at waterside of River Niger Cable point Asaba on 10th of April 2024 on a movie set titled “The other side of Life” produced by Adamma Luke. The Leadership of the Guild has taken the following decisions,” the statement reads in part.

“All Films that involve riverine areas and boat riding is hereby suspended indefinitely.

“No Shoot on all locations Nationwide on Thursday 11th April 2024. The film titled “Another Side of Life is suspended indefinitely.

“No actor is allowed to work with Adamma Luke as a producer till further notice. While we keep searching for the bodies of the remaining persons may their soul rest in peace.”

Nollywood Actor, Junior Pope and other filmmakers have lost their lives in a river in Asaba, Delta State.

Report has it that Junior Pope and his colleagues were on the river shooting when their boat reportedly capsized.

More to come…

After 20 years of “friendship/marriage,” popular Nigerian comedian Ayo Makun, also known as AY, and his wife Mabel have called it quits.

The comedian, on Sunday, posted a confirmation of the development on his Instagram page.

He claimed that because of his “deep personal family issues,” he was at a point where he could no longer amuse the public.

He wrote, “Many people believe that staying silent simply means that one is incapable of dealing with issues. Projecting a negative narrative against someone who is not struggling to defend himself doesn’t mean he is weak. Some of us are just logical enough to understand the difference between opinions, values, beliefs, and facts.

“The personality and ability that I possess simply confirm that I have reached that stage in my life where I can not be entertaining the public with deep personal family issues. They just might be too much to handle concerning the individuals involved. Not even when I have a grown-up daughter who has access to social media. Her mental health needs to be protected from seeing things she can not be proud of online.

“Yes! Without compromising my family, I have found myself doing some things that I am not proud of today. It is one thing to watch my friendship/marriage of 20 years slip off my hands, but it’s another thing for the parties involved to understand how to appropriate the blame in a space that is designed for most women to always play the victims and win. I can tell you for free that no one is completely innocent enough to cast stones.

“Presently, I am loving the way that lies about me in all these blogs are travelling faster than the truth. But my painful truth will eventually beat away all the lies.”

Also, in a post on her Instagram page on Sunday, Mabel said she had stopped reacting to disrespect.

She wrote, “Distance is my new response to disrespect. I don’t react, I don’t argue. I don’t dive into the drama. I just remove myself.”

Ayo and Mabel got married in November 2008, and they are blessed with two children.