The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has disclosed that it recovered the corpse of popular Nollywood actor, John Paul Odonwodo, also known as Junior Pope (JP), and one other victim in Wednesday’s boat mishap.
It also said that three others in the ill-fated boat were still missing apart from the seven persons rescued.
This came as the Anambra State Police Command said it has begun an investigation to unravel any criminal liability in the cause of death of the Nollywood actor, Junior Pope.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
NIWA Area Manager in Onitsha, Mr Suleiman Nicholas said that contrary to the claims that the incident happened in Anam, Anambra West, it happened at the Akpaka, a high-brow suburb of Onitsha and Nsugbe in Anambra East local government area.
He said 12 persons boarded the ill-fated boat, which was almost getting to its destination when it capsized.
He explained that out of the three missing persons, two were female, while one was male, adding that his men were already at the scene of the incident in the Akpaka area, conducting rescue and recovery activities, with the men of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria and Marine Police.
On whether the popular Nollywood actor, John Paul Odobwido, aka Junior Pope was one of the dead victims, Nicholas said: “My people said Junior Pope was one of the dead”.
He stated, “Whatever information you get now as the cause of the incident may not be accurate as we are waiting for the report from my men who are at the scene of the incident.
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“My men are on the water now to recover the remaining three missing victims,” he added
Meanwhile, Ikenga said the commissioner of police in the state, Aderemi Adeoye, ordered the investigation.
He said the police in Anambra would determine in their investigation if anybody played a role in the boat accident.
The police spokesperson said their preliminary inquiry into the incident had given them “an insight” into the cause of the boat accident but did not give details.
“Exhaustive investigation has been ordered by the Commissioner of Police to determine criminal liability of any person, if any, in the mishap,” he said.
There were speculations from Odonwodo’s fans shortly after his death became public that some of his jealous Nollywood colleagues might have played a role in his death.
Some supporters of the deceased actor, for instance, claimed that some Nollywood colleagues took him to a mortuary after his body was discovered, instead of first seeking medical attention for him.
Ikenga said when the police were notified of the boat accident, some marine police operatives were deployed to the area and consequently rescued six actors and one actress from the water.
“Two others who were unconscious were also pulled out with the aid of fishermen and conveyed to the Delta State Command Marine Police Jetty where other members of the crew who travelled in the first boat were waiting and handed over to the president of the Actors Guild for conveyance to the hospital while the rescue team went back in search of three others who are still missing as of the time of this release,” he said.
The police spokesperson said although the accident happened within their jurisdiction in Anambra, the release of the bodies of the accident victims for burial is to be handled by the police in Delta State.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Adeoye, has commiserated with families and friends of actors who lost their lives in the boat accident, Okoye said.
