‘He Must Be Buried Beside The River He Drowned’ – Anam Community Divided Over Junior Pope’s Burial

The Anam community in Anambra State faces a dispute over Junior Pope’s burial, with some residents insisting on laying him to rest by the river due to spiritual beliefs.

The actor’s family opposes this plan, while a faction supports taking his body to a shrine for possible resurrection.

The Anam community in Anambra State is in the midst of a heated dispute over the burial of Nollywood actor Junior Pope Odonwodo, who tragically drowned in the Anam River during a movie shoot.

VerseNews reports that the community, consisting of eight villages in Anambra West Local Government Area, is split on where to lay Odonwodo to rest.

Some residents insist he should be buried beside the river due to spiritual beliefs about the welfare of his children and the community. However, the actor’s family strongly opposes the idea and refuses to relinquish his body.

The situation became tense when attempts to retrieve his body from the hospital were thwarted by the attending doctor, who reportedly secured the body in a private room.

Further adding to the complications, a faction within the community advocates for transporting the body to a particular shrine before 2 AM, where a herbalist is said to hold the power to resurrect him.

Amid the turmoil, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Mr. Ejezie Emeka Rollas, and several Nollywood actors have reportedly intervened, supporting the controversial plan to take Junior Pope’s body to the shrine.

As the dispute unfolds, the Anam community faces a challenging dilemma: how to respect tradition and spirituality while considering the wishes of Odonwodo’s family.

This situation raises significant questions about the intersection of cultural practices and modern beliefs.