Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie, has denied any form of friendship with movie producer and CEO of Ason-Rich Movie Production, Henry Odenigbo.
Recall that Odenigbo was alleged to be the ringleader of the kidnap gang that was neutralised in a shootout by men of the Lagos State Police Command.
Although the police did not disclose the identity of the slain kidnappers who target wealthy businessmen, a filmmaker and actor, Stanley Nwoko, also known as Stanley Ontop, posted photos of the controversial actor as the mastermind behind the illegal activities.
Since the reported demise of Odenigbo, a photo of him and Edochie has been trending online, suggesting that the two men are friends.
In his reaction, Edochie disassociated himself from Odenigbo, explaining that the photo was taken in June on a movie set.
He clarified that there was nothing more as that was his first time of meeting the man, adding that the photo was taken at the request of the late filmmaker.
He said in part, “According to the police, the guy is a kidnapper. I’ve heard stories and noticed that some blogs posted my picture with him, implying he’s my friend. So, I want to state that the guy wasn’t my friend. I’ve been in Nollywood for 19 years, going on 20 years.
“I only saw this guy once when I shot a movie for him a few weeks ago. A director contracted me for a movie and paid me for a job. I even thought it was the director’s movie until I came to the set and met this guy.
“I think he called himself Ason-Rich Henry. He came to me, introduced himself as Ason-Rich Productions, and said his name was Henry.
“We greeted them, I shot the movie, and on the last day of shooting, he came to me and said he was so excited that he finally got to work with me. I think he also played a role in the movie. He asked if he could take a picture with me, and I said okay. We took pictures, and I left for the next set.
“That was the first time I saw him, and I never saw him again. That’s the picture a lot of people are circulating. I understand people are circulating the picture and saying he’s my friend. He is not my friend. I got to know him as a producer, and I don’t know why people are circulating my picture.’’
