Jnr Pope: AGN lifts suspension on Adanma Luke, permits riverine filming

The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, has lifted the suspension on Adanma Luke, the producer of the ill-fated movie ‘The Other Side of Life’, in which the deceased Nollywood actor John Paul Odonwodo, aka Junior Pope, starred.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Junior Pope and four other crew members drowned after their boat capsized at the waterside of River Niger Cable Point, Asaba, Delta State, while returning from the movie (The Other Side of Life) set on 10 April.

Following the incident and tragic deaths, the AGN indefinitely suspended Ms Luke for breaching safety protocols and prohibited its members from working with the embattled producer until further notice.

The guild also banned films involving riverine areas and boat riding to ensure the safety of actors and crew members by preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future.

She was pardoned four months after being barred from participating in any film production.

AGN’s National Secretary, Abubakar Yakubu, revealed this in a statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

The secretary noted that this decision was revealed during the guild’s National Executive Council meeting.

The statement reads, “The National President of the Guild, Dr. Ejezie Emeka Rollas, MON, use this opportunity to announce the lifting of the suspension placed on Adanma Luke, producer of the movie ‘Another Side of Life,’ where star actor Junior Pope and four other crew members lost their lives in Anam river.”

“The President also lifted the ban on filming in riverine areas but cautioned members to apply all safety standard measures recommended in the AGN Bylaws.”

Boat accident

The boat mishap news of the crew in April had caused a stir nationwide.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that a preliminary report, dated 25 May, by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) detailed that the accident resulted from the driver’s distraction and revealed that the boat was not certified by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

Before his death, the actor posted a video on his Instagram page, voicing concerns about the lack of life jackets during their river crossing.

He captioned the video, “See me lamenting. The risk we take to entertain you: crossing river 9ja yesterday with no life jacket. Na wahooooo. Who does that?”

The tragic event highlighted safety concerns on movie sets, leading to demands for scrutiny and improved (safety) standards within the industry.

In an official response to the tragedy, the guild promptly extended its condolences, halted movie shoots nationwide on 11 April, and established two committees: one to investigate the incident and another to improve the welfare of its members.

The AGN introduced new bylaws on 9 July aimed at better production standards and welfare.

Adanma Luke

Adanma Luke is known for producing Iga (Love in Chain) (2020), Narrow Affection (2023) and School Trouble (2014).

On 13 April, Luke said she was traumatised over the incident, revealing that she wished it was a dream. The filmmaker revealed that she was meant to be in the capsized boat and explained that her production manager had asked her to bring the memory card to the set, but when she arrived, she learned about the tragedy.

According to the producer, life jackets were available, but Junior Pope refused to wear one because it was dirty.

This confirms the NSIB preliminary report, which noted that only a few passengers on the boat wore life jackets.

Junior Pope was buried in his hometown of Ukehe, in the Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, on 17 May.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the funeral mass was officiated by Rt Rev. Godfrey Onah, Bishop of Nsukka Catholic Diocese, at Saint Peter’s Catholic Parish, Ukehe.

This paper also reported that on 30 April, Precious Ofurum, the film’s sound engineer, was buried in Rivers State just as the makeup artist, Abigail Fredrick, was buried in her hometown in Ikot Udoma, Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.