Adunni Ade, a well-known actress, has refuted claims that she owed her late colleague, Murphy Afolabi, the sum of N250,000 before his demise.
News About Nigeria reports that in a statement released by her legal representative and shared on her Instagram account on Tuesday, Adunni Ade categorically denied any outstanding debt to the late actor, countering the allegations made by a Muslim cleric during the eight days Fidau prayer for Afolabi on Monday.
The cleric had specifically called out Adunni and other actors in the Nollywood industry for their purported debts to Afolabi.
To substantiate her defense, Adunni Ade posted a screenshot of her bank statement, which revealed that she had received N150,000 from Afolabi for a movie role.
However, she clarified that she promptly refunded the entire amount to him in 2021.
According to the statement, Mr. Murphy Afolabi had approached Adunni Ade in July 2021, seeking her involvement in a self-funded movie project.
As he couldn’t afford her professional fee, he requested her moral support.
Adunni Ade inquired about the number of scenes and the duration she would be required on set, to which Afolabi responded with ten scenes and one day of filming.
As a token of appreciation, Afolabi offered to cover her fuel expenses and subsequently transferred N150,000 on July 2, 2021.
Tragically, Adunni Ade experienced the loss of her younger brother on July 11, 2021, shortly before the movie production was scheduled to commence.
In light of the devastating news, she contacted Afolabi to request his bank account details, as she intended to refund him before traveling to the United States for her brother’s funeral and to be with her family during this difficult time.
Afolabi, however, insisted that she retain the money while he deliberated on whether to reschedule the shoot or arrange for another project.
Adunni Ade returned to Lagos at the end of September 2021 and patiently awaited Afolabi’s decision.
It wasn’t until October 8, 2021, that Afolabi reached out to her again, expressing his desire to collaborate on a new project that would span four days.
He proposed the same remuneration of N150,000, identical to the amount paid in July. Respectfully declining the offer, Adunni Ade requested his bank account details and expeditiously transferred the full refund of N150,000 on the very same day.
