Actress Adunni Ade breaks silence about owing late Murphy Afolabi N250, 000.
Adunni Ade, a well-known actress in the Nigerian film industry, has finally addressed the allegations that she was in debt to her late coworker and director, Murphy Afolabi, in the amount of N250,000.
Recall that on Monday, during the 8-day Fidau Prayer held in honour of the late actor in Lagos, the burial committee for Murphy Afolabi had called out Adunni for the refund of the money she owed the actor before he passed away. The call was made in a video that was trending, and it took place in Lagos.
In the video that is currently going viral on social media, the committee can be heard saying, “Adunni Ade, please return the N250,000 that you are owing the late Murphy Afolabi.”
The actress responded to it by issuing a public statement through her management, which was accompanied by details about her bank account. In the statement, she denied the rumours that she was in debt to the late Murphy.
The following is an excerpt from the statement: “On behalf of popular Nollywood Actor and Content Creator, the unassuming Adunni Adewale, we write to set the record straight regarding a clip making the rounds in which our she was called out by a Muslim Cleric with claims of her owing the late Murphy Afolabi. The allegation does not hold water.
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“Sometime during the month of July 2021, the late Mr. Murphy Afolabi got in touch with me to inquire about my availability for film production. He explained that because it was a self-funded production, he would not be able to pay my professional fee; however, he would require my moral support. He made his appeal to me. I inquired about how many scenes and for how long I would be expected to act on set. He stated that there would be ten scenes and that I would spend one day on it. As a form of honorarium, he offered to fill up my car with petrol, and the payment of N150,000 was made on the 2nd of July 2021.
“Unfortunately, a short time before the beginning of the production, on 11 July 2021, I lost my younger brother, and I contacted the actor a few days afterwards for his bank details for a refund because I would be travelling to the United States for the funeral of my brother. However, he insisted that I keep the money safe while he decided whether or not to continue with the shoot and whether or not to get in touch with me about another one.
“On October 8, 2021, Mr. Murphy Afolabi contacted me and said he wanted to start a new job soon and needed me to play the lead role for four days with the same amount of N150,000 that he had paid in July. He said this would be the same amount that he would pay me. And I politely declined, asked for his account details, and refunded him the N150,000 on the same day I requested them. The receipts for both payments are attached to this post for your review.
It was recalled that Murphy Afolabi passed away on the 14th of May, 2023, after falling in his bathroom and being rushed to the hospital, where the physicians pronounced him dead. The date of his passing was May 14th.
