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Adunni Ade, a well-known actress in Nollywood, has finally addressed the claim that she owes late director and colleague Murphy Afolabi N250,000.
Recall that on Monday, during the 8-day Fidau Prayer conducted in Lagos in memory of the late actor, Murphy Afolabi's burial committee called out Adunni for the repayment of the money she owed the man before his passing.
The committee pleaded with Adunni Ade in the viral social media video: "Adunni Ade please return the N250,000 that you are owing Late Murphy Afolabi."
The actress, through her managers, responded to the claims that she was owed money by the late Murphy by denying them in a public statement that also included her bank account information.
"On behalf of popular Nollywood actor and content creator, the modest Adunni Adewale, we write to set the record straight regarding a clip going viral in which she was called out by a Muslim cleric with claims that she owed the late Murphy Afolabi," the statement stated. The claim is untrue.
"The late Mr. Murphy Afolabi contacted me sometime in July 2021 and asked for my help with a film production. He begged me for help, telling me that since it was a self-funded production, he couldn't pay my professional fee but that he would need my moral support. I inquired as to the number of scenes and time allotted for me on the shoot. He claimed that I would spend a day and ten scenes. In exchange for an honorarium of N150,000, which was paid on July 2, 2021, he promised to fuel my automobile.
"Unfortunately, on July 11, 2021, just before the production started, I lost my younger brother. A few days later, I called the actor for his bank information so I could refund because I would be traveling to the United States for my brother's burial. However, he demanded that I keep the money while he considered whether to continue the shoot or ask me for another one.
"On October 8, 2021, Mr. Murphy Afolabi phoned me and requested that I take the main part in a four-day production for the same sum of N150,000 that he had given me in July. I politely rejected, asked for his account information, and refunded him the N150,000 the same day. Attached to this post is proof of both payments."
