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.
Credit: Vanguard Nigeria
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