April 10, 2024, is a day Nigerians will never forget in a hurry. In fact, it is a black Wednesday.
The events of that day, like a homemade Nollywood drama unfolded before the very eyes of Nigerians.
Interestingly, the tragic character of the day was also a Nollywood actor, adding more spice to the story which later turned out to be a great tragedy.
This is the story of Pope Obumneme Odonwodo aka Junior Pope.
Never before has it been heard in Nigeria that a man died, came back to life, and died again, but on that fateful day, it happened.
The story began with Junior Pope kissing his lovely family goodbye, as he embarked on a journey, one which was intended to put smiles on the faces of his fans and money in his pocket.
Junior Pope And River Niger
This journey was not the usual road trip, the person who hired Pope for this job had set the location far across the River Niger.
A little voice in his head must have told him not to embark on the journey, but Junior Pope could not turn his back on his job, especially this one which he loves so much.
Or could it have been the hardship in the country?
You know the situation of the country now; one cannot afford to let money pass by or sit on the table. It must be guided to a bank account.
Whatever reason it was, Pope who was excited by the journey hopped in the boat and zoom, the controller left.
While on the journey, Pope shared a video via his social media page to update his fans on how it was going.
The Little Tiny Voice
In that video, he echoed his fears.
He told the boat controller to take it easy, noting that he was not ready to die.
Also, he mentioned that he had three kids at home, and he must stay alive to look after them.
If only he had listened to that tiny voice in his head, perhaps we wouldn’t need to write this story.
But Pope himself also made a mistake, he did not make use of a life jacket.
Shortly after that video, news of his death flooded the internet.
The whole country was thrown into shock, there was a sharp silence.
It was said that the boat capsized leaving the 39-year-old and three others under the deep waters.
There is no one who heard this news that was not pieced in his heart.
If his amazing acting skills does not spark your emotions, then his lovely family would.
‘Rest In Peace’ flooded the social media, as Nigerians tried to console his family.
Others rebuked the news, even with prayers, wishing they were dreaming.
The Miracle
As if God heard the prayers of Nigerians, Junior Pope was said to still have a little life in him.
“This is a miracle”, many Nigerians said.
Now, what was left was to revive him.
There was anxiety, prayers. We mean lots of prayers.
But sadly, as the night crawled near, Nigerians received the most heartbreaking news, Junior Pope was dead again.
Tears flowed, but then again, there were so many questions.
Junior Pope: Shifting Blames
Details of his death came much later, in many forms.
Some say he was first taken to a shrine near the river where he drowned to perform some ritual as custom demands, before being taken to a hospital.
Others say he was taken to three different hospitals who claimed that they do not have oxygen to revive the dying actor. This according to reports, resulted in his death.
As usual Nigerians have started shifting blames on social media.
Also Read: Junior Pope: What You Should Learn From Talks Of His Death
Some blame the government while others blame the people that were at the scene of the incident. Yet, another group of people blame the producer of the film who hired Junior Pope.
There are even people who blame Junior Pope himself, these people believe that a life jacket would have averted all the chaos.
In all, there is heart wrenching, pain and anguish that will follow his passing, with a little one that is yet to truly know his dad in the picture.
