All about Nollywood star Junior Pope as AGN president confirms actor is alive post boat mishap 

Emeka Rollas, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), confirmed in a public statement recently that Junior Pope Odonwodo is alive. This comes after claims of his passing away in a boat accident went viral. News outlets reported that the actor and four fellow performers drowned in the River Niger in Asaba, Delta, while shooting.

For those uninitiated, Junior Pope Odonwodo is a Nollywood actor best known for his roles in We Meet Again, Wrong Initiation, and Eye of the Eagle, amongst others. The Bamenda, Cameroon native, is 39 years old.

On Wednesday, April 10, Abubakar Yakubu, the national secretary of the AGN, said in a statement that Odonwodo “had a fatal boat mishap.”

“Unfortunately, he lost his life with four others that have not been identified yet," Yakuba added.

Emma Onyemeziem, the Delta Stat Chairperson of the AGN, also told exclusively to news outlet Vanguard that the actor’s body was in the process of being taken to the morgue.

However, Rollas recently confirmed that the star was very much alive and was recovering in the hospital after sustaining injuries.

“What God cannot do does not exist. Junior Pope is alive. He is taking treatment in the hospital," Rollas said on Instagram.

Yakubu also later issued a public statement, announcing that Junior Pope was in a coma. He reported that doctors confirmed that “there is still life in him, and they resuscitated him.”

“Presently he is in the hospital now. Receiving further treatment. I can confirm that he is alive," Yakubu further added.

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Junior Pope’s acting credits explored as he is confirmed to be alive

Junior Pope, whose real name is Pope Obumneme Odonwodo, joined Nollywood in 2006 and is best known for taking on roles that require immense physical fitness, especially for action movies.

In 2007, he amassed immense popularity after appearing in the blockbuster film Secret Adventures, which was directed by Tchidi Chikere. Since then, he has acted in over 100 films, including Bitter Generation, The Cat, The Generals, Mad S*x and Vengeance of Bullet, among others.

Pope has amassed over 2.2 million followers on his official Instagram account, where he frequently shares snippets of his personal life with fans.

As he continued to attain stardom, he won the Nollywood Most Promising Actor in Nigeria award at the Entertainment Factory Awards in 2010. A few other accolades he has accumulated include the Best Actor of the Year award at the Africa Movie Academy Awards and the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.

Moments before getting into the boat accident, the actor shared a video of himself in the water vehicle while shooting.

“See me lamenting… The risk we take to entertain you; crossing river 9ja yesterday with no life jacket…. Na wahooooo Who does that ??," Odonwodo said on Instagram.

Celebrity prophet Bright Ndibunwa, best known as Bright the Seer in Nigeria, allegedly predicted that a boat would capsize and put the lives of four actors, including Junior Pope, in danger. She asked fans and the actors themselves to pray for their safety. Later, on social media, she said that the celebrities should have foreseen the incident.

Junior Pope Odonwodo is married to Jennifer Awele Okpuno. The couple are parents to three sons.