The national president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, has debunked the viral report that the police arrested and detained him in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
Naija News recalls earlier reports claimed that Rollas was arrested and detained over allegations of imposing an unelected chairman on the guild’s Abia State chapter.
However, the Spokesman of the AGN president, Cornel Udofia, in a statement on Monday, January 13, 2025, confirmed that Rollas was never arrested and detained as claimed in the report.
Udofia said Rollas was in Umuahia due to the death of his mother-in-law and decided to attend the first meeting that was called by the interim chairman of the Abia State chapter of the Guild to encourage the participation of all members.
According to him, while the AGN president was addressing the members, somebody emerged from the crowd and started abusing and threatening him.
He said Rollas made a distressed call to the AIG Zone 9, which intervened promptly, and the boys were invited to the police for questioning, and the meeting continued.
He added that Rollas visited the police station in Umuahia at the end of the meeting and officially reported the threat to life.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to news making the rounds in local Abia blogs claiming that the AGN National President Dr Ejezie Emeka Rollas MON was arrested and detained by the police in Umuahia., Abia State. It is a figment of imagination of the writer calculated to embarrass and disrespect the Nigeria Police Force,
“Ordinarily these blogs do not deserve this refutal but for the benefit of teeming supporters of our National President who has been doing a great job and for the records.
“Fot those of you who have followed the AGN story in Abia it would be recalled that since 2024 a set of disgruntled elements led by one David Amalaha hijacked the Abia AGN by conducting an illegal and kangaroo election without the consent of the National body as enshrined in the AGN constitution. As a result, the Guild in Abia has been led by different Interim governments pending when the matter in court would have been over.
“Recently Mr Emmanuel Ehumadu aka Labista was appointed as the new Interim Chairman of the Abia State Chapter. January 9th 2025 was his first meeting and luckily the National President was around in the State due to the death of his mother In Law so he attended the meeting to encourage participation of all members.
“After his speech where he reeled out the National programs for 2025 somebody among the crowd raised up his hands to speak and he was given audience only for him to begin to rain abuses to the national body, issuing threats. At that point the national president sent a distress call to the AIG zone 9 who intervened and the boys were invited to the police for questioning and the meeting continued. At the end of the meeting the National President went to the zone 9 Umuahia and made an official entry of threat to life.”