Mr Okechukwu Okereke, the husband of the late Nollywood actress, Cynthia Okere, has expressed the family's struggle to gather funds for her funeral. Cynthia Okereke was tragically abducted last year alongside actor Clemson Cornel Nonyelu, known as 'Agbogidi,' while filming in Enugu.
Unfortunately, Cynthia Okereke passed away on July 11, 2023, after a brief illness. Mr Okereke shared his disappointment with the Actor's Guild of Nigeria for not providing assistance to his family. He stated that he is solely planning his wife's burial with help from his son, and urgently requires financial support for her dignified farewell.
He revealed that his wife's death was a result of the shock from her kidnapping experience, as she had been in and out of hospitals since her release. Agbogidi, the fellow abductee, confirmed that she was even begging her captors for her medication during the ordeal.
"After the kidnapping issue, the trauma came in. She developed a leg problem because they tied her legs. When she was released from the kidnappers' den, she had severe pain and we rushed her to the orthopaedic hospital, where it was discovered that the pain relief drugs she took had affected her tummy," Mr Okereke explained.
He further added, "At that point, we moved her to a specialist hospital in Owerri, where she was placed on life support. And on Tuesday, July 11, she gave up the ghost, after she spent about four months at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Enugu."
Mr Okereke appealed to Cynthia's friends, colleagues, and fans for assistance in giving her a proper funeral. He also addressed the ransom paid to the kidnappers, stating that they borrowed N3.5 million and were still repaying it. Allegations surfaced that funds raised by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) were not properly distributed to the affected families, which was supported by Agbogidi's family source as well.
However, a source from the AGN, Enugu State chapter, denied the claim, stating that the money was indeed handed over to Mr Okereke in their office. Cynthia Okereke, born in 1960, made her acting debut in 1998 and gained fame for her role in "Osofia in London" alongside Nkem Owoh. She featured in several other notable movies during her career.
