Adanma Luke, the producer of the movie Junior Pope was filming before his death, has claimed the actor refused a life jacket because it was dirty.
This comes after Luke faced criticism following the boat mishap on the Anam River in Anambra State that claimed the lives of Junior Pope and four others. They were returning from the filming location for “The Other Side Of Life” when the tragedy struck.
In a video message on her Instagram account, Luke said both the director and the director of photography wore life jackets during the incident. “There was still one life jacket available, I don’t know who took it,” she said.
According to Luke, her production manager informed her that life jackets were offered, but Junior Pope declined due to its condition. “Those with life jackets survived the boat mishap,” she added.
Survivors reportedly stated that Junior Pope was initially checking on others in the water. They even threw him a gallon to hold onto, but he unfortunately disappeared shortly after.
Search efforts were conducted, but Junior Pope was not recovered until divers arrived at the scene. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Luke did mention that another crew member was seen standing on the speedboat rigging bell.