Yul Edochie, the Nigerian actor, has dismissed reports linking him to Ason Rich, the filmmaker reportedly gunned down by police during a gun duel in Lagos.
Last week, the state police command said it killed nine suspected kidnappers who “targeted high net-worth residents” in the state.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson of the command, disclosed that the suspects were killed during a gun duel.
But on Monday, there were reports that one of the suspected kidnappers was a movie producer.
Speaking with TheCable Lifestyle on Tuesday, Emeka Rollas, the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), said he cannot confirm the membership of the suspected kidnapper.
There were also reports claiming the deceased had worked with Edochie. The reports alleged that the pair were “friends”.
Reacting via his Instagram page, Edochie said he met the filmmaker just once at a movie set in June.
He said the picture of them circulating was taken at the movie set following a request from the filmmaker.
Edochie also threatened to take legal actions against bloggers linking him to Ason Rich.
“I want to address a rumour that has been flying around for some days now. About the Nollywood producer who was shot by the police and according to the police he is a kidnapper,” he said.
“I have been hearing stories for some days. I think blogs are posting my picture with him and saying the guy was my friend. So I want to state it categorically here that the guy was not my friend.
“I have been in Nollywood for almost 20 years, I only saw the guy once when I shot a movie for him. A few weeks ago, a director contracted me for a job which I thought was his but when I got to the set I met this guy.
“He introduced himself to me as Rich Productions and his name is Henry. We greeted, shot the movie, finished the movie, he came to me saying he is excited to finally work with me and he asked if he could take a picture.
“I agreed, took the picture and I left. That was my first time of seeing him and after that I never saw him again. That’s the picture a lot of people are circulating saying he was my friend. He was not my friend, I got to know him as a producer.
“I don’t know why you people are circulating it. But I know anything that has my name on it sales but this is absolutely wrong.
“Whoever is spreading this, I hope you can defend it in court because it is coming. If you want to write a story of the producer that was shot, put the guy’s picture, don’t add my picture.
“And if you must add pictures of actors to say he was a producer, put the pictures of all the actors he had worked with… I never knew this guy before, I only met him once and that was last month when I shot a movie for him.
“So why are bloggers using my picture just to generate traffic? You are trying so hard to destroy my name but you can’t because it was crested by God. But know this, I hope you’re able to defend it in court or at the police station because it’s coming.”
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