Army releases Chiwetalu Agu after 24 hours in detention

The Nigerian army has released Chiwetalu Agu, the ace Nollywood actor, who has been in detention for nearly 24 hours.

Abubakar Yakubu, national secretary of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), confirmed the news of his release to TheCable Lifestyle on Friday.

Chiwetalu was arrested on Thursday in Onitsha by soldiers for wearing an outfit themed after the separatist state.

Locals in the south-eastern state of Anambra who witnessed the incident had claimed the army publicly manhandled Chiwetalu, searched his vehicle, and fired shots to scare off the crowd that gathered.

In response, the army had denied assaulting the comic actor. It also clarified that Chiwetalu was arrested after he publicly displayed his solidarity for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a proscribed separatist group.

The AGN had earlier revealed that it was closely monitoring the case and working towards the actor’s release after visiting him.

Yakubu, while confirming his eventual release, said it was a collaborative effort between Emeka Rollas, the national president of the AGN; and Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, an apex socio-cultural group in the southeast.

“The AGN’s national president secured his release. This is confirmed by the senior special assistant to the president on military and inter-governmental affairs. We want to thank the military for their understanding,” he said.