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APRIL 9, 2007 VOL. 20. NO 26 |
| Once too many Another Nollywood actor is arrested while trying to export hard drugs, just as Taiwo Akinwande, a previous offender moves to launder her battered image By Osamudiamens Ogbonmwan As embattled former star actress, Taiwo Akinwande (a.k.a Wunmi) walked into the Lagos Television (LTV) conference hall last week, venue of a small gathering she had 'summoned, through the help o Jide Kosoko, president of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioner (ANTP), she could hardly hold her head up. For the almost 15 minutes Kosoko spent explaining the reason behind the inpromptu gathering, Akinwande stared fixedly on the floor obviously avoiding the probing looks of the crowd. And when she was finally given the floor to speak, she kept breaking into sobs, thereby making it a little difficult for the people to hear and understand her. Speaking mostly in Yoruba and with no interpreter, Akinwande said “ I know I have disappointed my fans, family and my association, ANTP. All I am saying is that you all should forgive me and accept me back as one of you. I am very sorry and promise that it would never happen again.” Akinwande’s disgraceful tale started on September 23 , 2006 while boarding a Virgin Atlantic Flight enroute London at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, she was caught for attempting to export 1.214kgs of cocaine. Following the incident, a trial began on November 21, 2006. Many had expected that she would be handed a long jail term when the lawyer to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Raphael Hinmi Kaiye, presented a written statement and the 92 wraps of cocaine excreted by the actress. But most Nigerians who followed the case like an enchanting drama series were evidently surprised when the presiding judge, Ahmed Ramat Mohammed, sentenced Akinwande to three years in jail, or an option of one million naira fine based on' the fact, as her lawyer rightly pleaded, she was a first time offender. Just when Akinwande thought friends and associates would help raise the money to buy her freedom, she met with a brickwall as the people she depended on could not raise the amount until out of the blues an anonymous fan paid and she regained her freedom. Whether she would be bold enough to continue with her acting career was topmost on the lips of her teeming fans – a reason why she suddenly called the briefing to announce that she was going back to what she knows how to do best: acting. “I think she deserves a second chance. At least she is remorseful. We are not God, so we can’t judge her. Since she was freed, she has been going up and down apologising to friends, associates and family members. I think the best thing we should do is to welcome her back into the fold,” Kosoko told The Source. However, Akinwande did not just stop at apologising for her ugly actions, she went flight further to announce an intention to launch a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) which she said would deal mostly with educating people, expecially the young ones about the dangers in using, importing or even exporting hard drugs. Ironically, on the heels of the Akinwande ordeal, another Nollywood actor, Uche Odoputa, was arrested penultimate Friday, March 23, 2007, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos while trying to export some kilograms of cocaine to the United Kingdom. The Source gathered from a reliable source that as Odoputa was about boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight, an eagle-eyed NDLEA officer suspected his movement and thus requested him to submit himself to a search. Minutes after some search, Odoputa excreted some raps of cocaine When The Source spoke with Ejike Asiegbu, president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, he stated that the news came as a rude shock to him. “As I have always said, we are a respected organisation. All the while, we keep educating our members about the dangers of involving in the trade of hard drugs. Sadly, the culprit won’t be the one that would be judged but the whole organisation. I can’t say much now until I have a meeting with my executive,” Asiegbu said. Since the day of the incident, Odoputa has been cooling his heels at the NDLEA’s office. Paul Obasele, actor-cum-producer on his part told The Source that “Odoputa over the last three years ceased to be a member of the AGN and he had not worked on set for longer that that. So when people, or rather the media refer him as a Nollywood star, we feel that it is only right for us to put the records straight.” Odoputa, a father of one is from Awo in Imo State. He has starred in a number of home videos, among which are Betrayals and All for Winnie. But for Akinwande, only time would tell if people would come around to accept her the way they did before, as Justice Mohammed while giving his sentence had stated that the fact of the matter is that as from today (January 25, 2007) the accused will carry the stigma of ex-convict throughout her life.” |
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