Surprising revelations have emerged regarding Cynthia Okereke’s death and the aftermath of her abduction last year by unknown gunmen alongside actor Clemson Cornel Nonyelu, popularly known as ‘Agbogidi, while filming in Enugu.
The veteran actress passed away last month on Tuesday, July 11, nearly a year after the harrowing incident.
However, the current concern is the challenging situation surrounding Cynthia’s family’s efforts to raise funds for her funeral arrangements.
In a recent phone conversation with the deceased’s husband, Mr. Okechukwu Okereke, he expressed his distress as he takes sole responsibility for planning his wife’s burial, with some assistance from their son.
He shared that Cynthia’s interment is tentatively scheduled for the second week of October in his hometown, although he didn’t specify an exact date. Despite this, Mr. Okereke emphasised the urgent need for financial support to ensure a fitting farewell for his late wife.
He confirmed that his wife’s passing was a consequence of the shock she endured from her abduction experience the previous year. Following her release, Cynthia’s health fluctuated, leading to her unfortunate demise last month.
Agbogidi, speaking to our reporter, corroborated the details that, during their time in captivity, the late actress had to plead with the abductors to provide her with her high blood pressure medication, which they eventually reluctantly did.
In the words of the deceased’s husband, “After the kidnapping issue, the trauma came in. She developed leg problems because they tied her legs.
“When she was released from the kidnappers’ den, she had severe pain and we rushed her to the orthopaedic hospital, where it was discovered that the pain relief drugs she took had affected her tummy.
“From there, we rushed her again to a private hospital, where she underwent the first surgery and waited for the second one to be carried out on her before her doctors discovered that it had affected her heart.
“At that point, we moved her to a specialist hospital in Owerri, where she was placed on life support. And on Tuesday, July 11, she gave up the ghost, after she spent about four months at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital,UNTH, Enugu.”
Okereke, however, called on her wife’s friends, colleagues and fans to rally around her family in order to give the late actress a befitting funeral rites.
Meanwhile, on the ransom paid to his wife’s kidnappers, Mr Okereke said they borrowed the sum of N3.5 million, which they were still servicing to secure her release alongside actor Agbogidi.
He claimed that the funds raised by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN, for this purpose have not been handed over to the affected families to date. Also, a source from Agbogidi’s family confirmed Mr Okereke’s allegation.
“I can confirm to you that no dime has been given to my family by AGN till date. My family paid 50% of the kidnapping ransom, while Cynthia’s family paid the remaining 50%.
“Till date, we haven’t received anything from the leadership of the guild,” a source from Agbogidi’s family insisted.
However, reacting to the allegation, a source from the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Enugu State chapter, denied the allegation, insisting that the money was handed over to the two families.
“You can believe whatever he tells you but the truth is that the money was handed over to him, in our office. He’s a big liar if he denies that he didn’t collect the money,” said an AGN source.
Born in 1960, Cynthia made her acting debut in 1998, after her role in the film “King Jaja of Opobo,” which brought her into the limelight.
She also gained prominence in the industry after her role as Sofia in the film “Osofia in London,” which she shared with Nkem Owoh.
She appeared in other movies such as “Hidden Tears,” “Sound of Love,” “Coronation,” “Second Burial,” “Lion Finger,” and “Second Chance,” among others.
