Adunni Ade, a popular Nollywood actress, has finally spoken out about the allegation that she owed her late colleague and director, Murphy Afolabi, N250,000.
Remember that Murphy Afolabi’s burial committee had called out Adunni in a trending video on Monday, during the 8-day Fidau Prayer held in honour of the late actor in Lagos, for the refund of the money she owed the actor before his death.
The committee said in the viral video, “Adunni Ade, please return the N250,000 that you are owing Late Murphy Afolabi.”
In a public statement accompanied by her bank account information, the actress, through her management, denied being indebted to late Murphy.
“On behalf of popular Nollywood actor and content creator, the unassuming Adunni Adewale, we write to set the record straight regarding a clip making the rounds in which she was called out by a Muslim Cleric with claims of owing the late Murphy Afolabi,” the statement read. The charge is false.
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“Sometime in July 2021, the late Mr. Murphy Afolabi contacted me, requesting my assistance with a film production.” He appealed to me, saying that because the production was self-funded, he couldn’t afford my professional fee, but that he would need my moral support. I inquired as to how many scenes and how long I would be expected to work on set. He said ten scenes and that I would spend a day on them. He offered to fuel my car as an honorarium, for which he received N150,000 on July 2, 2021.
“Unfortunately, on 11 July 2021, shortly before the start of the production, I lost my younger brother, and I contacted the actor a few days later for his bank details for a refund as I would be travelling to the United States for my brother’s funeral.” But he insisted on keeping the money while he considered whether to move the shoot forward or contact me for another.
“On the 8th of October 2021, Mr. Murphy Afolabi contacted me and said he wanted to start a new job soon and needed me to play the lead role for four days for the same amount of N150,000 that he had paid in July.” And I politely declined, asked for his account information, and refunded him the N150,000 the same day. This post includes proof of both payments.”
Murphy Afolabi died on Sunday, May 14, 2023, after falling in his bathroom and being rushed to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
