The producer of the film that Junior Pope was filming before his tragic drowning, Adanma Luke, stated that the late actor was offered a life jacket but declined to use it.
Following the tragic incident involving the death of actor Junior Pope and three others when their boat capsized on the Anam River in Anambra State while returning from the filming location of her movie, ‘The Other Side Of Life,’ Luke Adanma has faced criticism.
Breaking her silence since the tragedy, Adanma revealed that Junior Pope was offered a life jacket but declined to use it, citing its dirty condition.
She expressed her disbelief at the events of the past few days, describing them as a surreal nightmare she wished she could wake up from.
“On April 10, we lost five actors who were on their way to a location. Through the means of boat transportation, they had an accident. I have been so traumatised, I have been so cold. This whole thing still feels like a dream to me, I wish I could still wake up from this dream,” she said.
“I have not been able to make any statement since because we have been trying to recover the bodies. I have been providing money to those looking for bodies, providing caskets to enable the bodies are transported to their villages; and to the families that wanted it to be done. I have not been quiet, I have been doing things just so these people can rest. It is so sad that this had to happen on my set.
“I blame myself that I would have been in Lagos, doing my thing in Lagos. I blame myself for coming down to Asaba. I was supposed to be on that boat. My production manager was calling me to bring the memory card so they could start filming and I told him to come and collect it and he was like you know this place is far, please bring it for us. I said okay why have you people not crossed? Why have you not gone to work?
“He said they were waiting for Junior Pope to arrive. Before now on the 9th, they went there on their own and when Junior Pope came, he came on his own, he came alone. So on 10th, when I was preparing to go and drop the card, I was accompanied by my brother’s children. Two kids that were supposed to go with me, were supposed to be on that boat together. Getting there, I saw Emeka. Emeka was my DOP, he was just sitting and I did not see the others.
“I asked Emeka what is it and people surrounded him. Emeka was quiet and I was like, Emeka talk to me, what is it? What is the problem? Why have you not crossed? Where is Ogolo? Where is everybody? Has JP come? He was still quiet. I started shouting what was happening, can somebody please talk to me? Emeka now said JP is dead, Abigail is dead, Friday is dead, Precious is dead.
“He said ‘dem dey inside water’. I said let me go inside, let me be sure that the divers are looking for them. He said ‘there are over 15 divers looking for them inside the water’. I still cannot believe this because these crew members were my family. They have been working with me, if I was shooting in Lagos, they would transport from Asaba to Lagos to come and work with me. All through last year, we stayed together in Lagos, we filmed, worked together.
“… on that said day, I saw my director and Emeka outside. My director told me he did not know what happened. He was in a life jacket, and Emeka too was in a life jacket. There was still one life jacket available, I do not know who took it. My PM told me that they saw live jackets hanging when they got there and he asked the late Friday to even send one to Junior Pope but Junior Pope said it was dirty or so, so he did not take it. Those with life jackets survived. They even told me that when they were in the water, Junior Pope was also there asking if everybody was okay. How everybody is fine?
“That they even threw a gallon to him to use and hold himself, which he was holding that all of a sudden, they did not see him again. It was when they came out that they noticed that he was no longer there because they said divers had come and rescued some of them while other divers were still there trying to rescue others. I asked what could have caused this? He said he did not know but that TC was standing on the speedboat and ringing a bell.”