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Nigerians were thrown into sadness in the midday hours of Wednesday 10 April 2024, when the news broke of an unfortunate incident at a movie location in Anambra.
One of Nollywood’s finest actors, Jnr Pope alongside three others lost their lives in a boat accident while returning from a movie set.
In the avoidable incident that has caused many to question the safety of actors and negligence of Nigerian hospitals, Jnr Pope and his colleagues were subjected to crossing a part of the Niger River in a small boat, with no life jacket on and no lifeguards provided.
With no safety measures in place, the movie producer risked the lives of more than 30 of the movie cast and crew.
Narrating the incident on his personal instagram account, Nollywood producer , Mr Stanley, lamented that the loath within the Nigeria movie industry was much.
Leading to the demise of Jnr Pope and three others, whose bodies are yet to be recovered from the river, no efforts were made to resuscitate Jnr Pope after rescue, rather his body was taken directly to the morgue where it was rejected by the mortician.
He went further to bemoan the fact that Jnr Pope would have survived if he was rushed to the hospital as opposed being taken to the morgue when he was not confirmed lifeless.
Stanley narrated to viewers of his instagram live video, how the actor after been rejected by the mortician was taken back to the river side where a herbalist who noted that it was forbidden to cross the river on that particular day, being a market day, performed rituals to appease the gods of the river.
It was the herbalist who thereafter instructed that Jnr Pope be taken to the hospital.
Unfortunately the hospital did not have oxygen available when Stanley and others arrived at the hospital with the unconscious Jnr Pope.
They made their way to another hospital which was farther away.
It was there the doctor on call confirmed that the actor has passed.
As Nollywoods and Nigerians mourn the passing of Jnr Pope, in less than 24 hours details of his life and how a pastor predicted his demise have emerged.
A close friend privy of the incident stated in a now deleted post, how a local pastor prophesied that the actor had the spirit of “unaliveness” hovering around him and he should embark on fasting and prayer to avert the inevitable. The post author did not include if the spiritual exercise was carried out by the actor or not.
This is a clear case on unnecessary risks by the movie producer, negligence, lack of basic understanding of first aid and poor medical infrastructure in Nigeria.
For the producer: why put your actors on a boat with no safety vest and live guards?
A simple CPR should have been carried out immediately the unconscious actor was removed from the river.
An ambulance with oxygen should have been called in to transport the actor to the hospital quickly.
A clear case of an avoidable situation.
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