Junior Pope
Nigeria mourns the passing of actor Obumneme Odonwodo, widely known as Junior Pope who died at age 39, after a boat accident on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
According to numerous Nigerian news sources, the incident occurred as Junior Pope was returning from a movie shoot along the Anam River in Anambra State.
Two other individuals were also reported missing when their boat collided with a fishing canoe and somersaulted.
A day before the accident, Junior Pope shared a video on Instagram showing him on a boat without a life jacket. His caption, “The risk we take to entertain you; crossing River 9ja yesterday with no life jacket,” sheds light on the dangers actors sometimes face in their line of work.
Following rescue efforts, Junior Pope’s body was recovered, while the identities of the others missing remained as sound man and makeup artist. Conflicting reports after Pope’s body was found indicated that he was alive and was taken to hospital.
Unfortunately, he could not make it out of the hospital alive.
The President of the Nigerian Actors Guild, Emeka Rollas, reportedly made an Instagram post stating that the actor is alive and receiving treatment at a hospital. However, Rollas later came back to post that Pope could not make it back alive.
Fans and colleagues alike have since taken to social media to express their grief over the loss of the talented actor. He left behind three children.
By Francis Addo