The Actors Guild of Nigeria has expressed gratitude to the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, for the part they played in securing the release of veteran actor, Chiwetalu Agu, from Army custody on Friday.
This was contained in a statement signed by the AGN Director of Communications, Monalisa Chinda, on Friday, as the association confirmed the release of the Nollywood actor.
Part of the statement read, “The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, has secured the release of actor Chiwetalu Agu from the custody of the Nigerian Army.
“The Senior Special Assistant on Military Affairs and Inter-Governmental Relations to the President, Steve Eboh, who confirmed the release from the Army Barracks in Enugu, thanked the High Command of Nigerian Army for their cooperation and understanding in the matter.
“The National President also commended the efforts of the leadership of the pan Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, for their collaborative efforts on the matter.
“However, the National President has debunked the earlier statement credited to him on the arrest of the veteran actor as he has not made any official public or private statement on the matter since his arrest yesterday. The public is hereby advised to disregard the report which trended on social media on the matter.”
We had earlier reported that soldiers arrested the actor around Upper Iweka Bridge in Onitsha for wearing an outfit with Biafra inscriptions.
Agu was reportedly on a charity mission to the less privileged when he was arrested by soldiers.
The Nigerian Army in a statement said that the actor was arrested “while inciting members of the public and soliciting for support for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra”.
However, the actor was released on Friday due to the collaborative efforts of the Ohanaeze and AGN, and was filmed with two representatives from the AGN in front of the Army High Command located in Enugu.
