Actor Yul Edochie has denied having a personal relationship with Henry Odenigbo, a movie producer and CEO of Ason-Rich Movie Production, who was allegedly involved in kidnapping and killed in a shootout with the Lagos state police command.
Edochie, who has been in the industry for nearly 20 years, clarified that his encounter with Odenigbo was strictly professional and limited to a movie set in June, where they worked together on the film “Sharon’s Fate”.
He stated that Odenigbo had requested a photo with him on set, which has since been circulated, leading to rumours of a friendship between the two.
The actor emphasised that he had no knowledge of Odenigbo’s alleged criminal activities and was shocked to learn of his involvement in the kidnapping.
Edochie’s denial comes amidst reports that Odenigbo was the ringleader of a kidnap gang and had used his film production company as a front for his illegal activities.
Edochie said: “According to the police, the guy is a kidnapper. I’ve heard stories and noticed that some blogs posted my picture with him, implying he’s my friend. So, I want to state that the guy wasn’t my friend. I’ve been in Nollywood for 19 years, going on 20 years.
I only saw this guy once when I shot a movie for him a few weeks ago. A director contracted me for a movie and paid me for a job. I even thought it was the director’s movie until I came to the set and met this guy.
“I think he called himself Ason-Rich Henry. He came to me, introduced himself as Ason-Rich Productions, and said his name was Henry.
‘‘We greeted them, I shot the movie, and on the last day of shooting, he came to me and said he was so excited that he finally got to work with me. I think he also played a role in the movie. He asked if he could take a picture with me, and I said okay. We took pictures, and I left for the next set.
That was the first time I saw him, and I never saw him again. That’s the picture a lot of people are circulating. I understand people are circulating the picture and saying he’s my friend. He is not my friend. I got to know him as a producer, and I don’t know why people are circulating my picture,’’ Edochie said.
Recall that Lagos police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin said some kidnappers were killed in a gun duel in Ladipo Mushin after receiving intelligence about their plot to abduct wealthy individuals in the state.
The police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, however, didn’t disclose the identities of the slain kidnappers.
