The Drama, Media Frenzy Leading To Sad End Of Junior Pope

Rita Enemuru, Reporting 

SOCIAL and mainstream media went agog on Wednesday evening over the news of the sad end of popular Nollywood actor, Junior Pope Odonwodo, popularly known as Jnr Pope.

When the news broke out that he had passed, it was gathered that the actor died while filing in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

In a video post that was shared on Pope’s official Instagram page some hours before the news went viral, the actor was heard saying “bros, abeg no vex, na only me they born oo. I get three children, na me go raise them.”

In the video, the actor was seen on a speedboat without a life jacket! 

The video, which went viral with thousands of comments on Social Media, was captioned thus: “See me lamenting…… The risk we take to entertain you: crossing the river 9ja yesterday with no life jacket…. Na wahoooooo…. Who does that??”

Reacting to the video, One Phat_fifi commented: “No life jacket and you are speeding like this?? What is all this na?”

Another user, @Placid Slimboo said: “I hope this news I’m hearing is fake. Fear dey catch me.”

@Omo_akin_of_lagos added, “He was sensing it already. He was scared. Such Waters are not ordinary, what if some goddess was listening to what he was saying and decided to be wicked. I really hope all this was a misunderstanding. Cause wtf it’s not fair no be say e sick who will take care of his kids leaving 3 kids all alone after telling his wife he’ll be back before leaving. No oo.”

However, controversy trailed the news of the actor’s death after the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas shared a post (now deleted) about the actor being alive and receiving treatment in a hospital.

But in a new turn of events on Thursday, the AGN President finally confirmed the death of the actor and apologized for his earlier post suggesting that he was still alive.

He confirmed this in an Instagram post shared in his official page and according to him, they lost the actor after two notable hospitals tried their best to revive him, but to no avail.

The post read thus: “It’s so so sad that our joy was short-lived. My first post was out of excitement when we noticed his tingling fingers. Two notable hospitals tried their best to revive him but to no avail, God knows the best. We finally lost him.”

He added that the corpse of another passenger in the boat, Mr Friday, has been identified but three other corpses are yet to be found.

The Frenzy on Social Media

Typical of Netizens of using the misfortune in driving traffic to their Social Media pages, as of Wednesday evening, the news of the actor’s demise became the most talked about issue on Facebook with many users giving their thoughts on it.

The news of the actor and became the number one trending issue in Nigeria with over 200,000 searches on Google Trends. It has become the number one trending issue in entertainment on X (formerly Twitter).

While the uncertainty of the actor’s death still clouded the air, some Netizens made claims that a prophet had earlier predicted the death of the actor. Some even added that the goddess of the River Niger was angry and that was why he took the breath of the actor and later returned it when some unknown persons went to the river to plead for the return of the actor’s airflow.

There were multiple unverified videos posted on various social media platforms, some showing when the actor was brought out of the water, others of people jubilating about the actor being alive.

Immediately the news of the 40-year-old and father-of-three broke out, major media websites, Channels, Vanguard, Punch, Legit.ng and several others feasted on it. In fact, before the death of the actor was finally confirmed early Thursday morning, Vanguard had claimed that the Delta State Chairman of Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Emma Onyemeziem, had confirmed that the actor’s corpse had been deposited in the morgue.

When the AGN National President made the now-deleted post on his Instagram page of the actor being alive and receiving treatment in the hospital, Netizens began questioning the credibility of mainstream media. Some accused the mainstream media of craving for speed and traffic over accuracy – an act they tagged “I want to publish first.”

Some Netizens claimed that immediately the actor was brought out of the River Niger, he was taken to the morgue. When the corpse got to the morgue, the attendants noticed that his fingers were tingling and rejected him immediately.

AGN Suspends Movies Involving Boat Rides

Following the confirmation of Pope’s death, the Actors Guild of Nigeria has stopped all film productions involving riverine areas and boat rides.

The guild’s President, Emeka Rollas, disclosed this in a circular dated April 11, 2024 and posted on social media on Thursday. Additionally, actors are barred from participating in any film produced by Adanma Luke until further notice.

Luke is the producer of the movie titled “The Other Side of Life,” in which Junior Pope was starring before his tragic death.

Facts To Know About Junior Pope

Junior Pope Odowondo was a bonafide superstar in Nigeria’s bustling film industry. Known for his charismatic performances, this dashing actor and charming television personality captivated audiences with his magnetic presence and versatile acting skills.

1. Pope Obumneme Odonwodo, popularly known as Junior Pope, is a Nollywood actor, model, and philanthropist.

2. He was born on 7th May 1984 in Bamenda, Cameroun to Mr. and Mrs. Luke Odonwodo.

3. He hails from the Ukehe tribe of Enugu State in the southeastern part of Nigeria but grew up in Cameroun.

4. He completed both his primary & secondary school education in Cameroun before relocating to Nigeria.

5. After college, he attended the University of Nigeria Nsukka Enugu State and graduated with a degree in Accountancy. In 2006, he joined Nollywood and acted in many movies.

6. He played the role of guard and servant. In 2007 he rose to fame after acting in the blockbuster movie “Secret Adventures” directed by Tchidi Chikere. According to him, it was the award-winning movie director “Tchidi Chikere” that brought him to the limelight.

7. He has acted in over 100 movies, including Secret Adventures, Mad Sex, Bitter Generation, and Vengeance of Bullet. In 2010, he won the award for Nollywood’s Most Promising Actor in Nigeria at the Entertainment Factory Awards.

8. On 26th July 2014, Junior Pope married Jennifer Awele Okpuno, and the couple was blessed with three boys.

9. He was a Christian by faith. May his soul rest in peace.