The president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Segun Arinze, has announced the kidnapping of one of Nigeria’s most talented actors, Nkem Owoh.
He was said to have been in his country home in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, when he called his Personal Assistant, simply identified as Mr. Cino, who was in Lagos, to inform him of his intention to go to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Shortly after, another call was reportedly put across to Cino, this time by a man who claimed to be a member of a gang that kidnapped Owoh.
He demanded for a N15m ransom.
The kidnappers, it was gathered, did not disclose where and when the ransom should be paid.
It could also not be confirmed where the kidnapping took place since Owoh had hinted he was heading for Port Harcourt.
All the calls put across to his MTN number yesterday night did not go through, as the phone was switched off.
The incident was believed to have happened about 5:30 pm.
Our source, who is a fellow actor, said Cino called him as soon as he got the information from the suspected abductors.
Owoh’s kidnapping is the second high-profile kidnap in the movie industry this year.
Veteran actor Pete Edochie was seized and later released in August.
Former president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Mr. Ejike Asiegbu, yesterday condemned the incident.
“It is unfortunate and I do not think it is proper. It shows the kind of environment that we live in. No one is safe. That they have decided to face entertainment people as targets for kidnap is unfortunate. It is no longer safe to go on location and produce films now, as anybody could then become a target for kidnap,” he said.
Another film maker, Amayo Uzor Philip, also condemned the action of the kidnappers, expressing shock at the development.
“If the kidnappers have started looking the way of filmmakers, it is a serious problem,” he lamented.
Too sad. My God when will this end?
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