The Actors Guild of Nigeria has said it is investigating the health condition of popular Nollywood actress Hanks Anuku.
On Monday, a video of the erstwhile superstar actor found himself unkempt and begging for alms in Asaba hit the internet, sparking reactions.
Actor and filmmaker Shan George condemned the video, stating that the actor was on the set of a movie. He backed up his claim with pictures of himself on the set of the said film.
Interestingly, a similar video of passengers begging for alms on a busy road in Benin went viral.
The videos remind him of his late colleague Ernest Asuzu begging, He was filmed begging for money and food on the streets of Oke-Afa Isolo, Lagos, January 2020.
Hanks, 62, the elder brother of Miss Nigeria 1986 Rita Anuku, who died in 2015, dominated Nollywood in the late 1990s until 2014, when he relocated to Ghana.
The former governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, appointed him Special Adviser on Tourism and Recreation in 2010, a role he held for a short time.
After that he appeared after the late Prophet TB Joshua freed him from alcoholism and mental illness; after the incident he moved to Ghana.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the President of the Actors Guild, Emeka Rollase, said his group was “on top of the situation”.
Regarding the two incidents, Mr. Rollas said that the Guild is trying to verify the authenticity of the videos.
“There is nothing I can say from an official point of view at the moment, but we have sent the union president from Edo and Delta State first to see where he is, if he is filming and all that.
“Only when we get that information can we say something officially. For now, we have no information. No one seems to know where he is. I think it’s not something serious,” he said.
He confirmed that Hanks was on set five days ago Shan George.
The president of AGN has also warned his colleagues, saying that they use every opportunity to “follow” him, considering it a very unfortunate habit.
According to him, when an actor has a problem, the solution is not always to go to social media to attract attention.
“I don’t know why some people in the entertainment industry feel entitled. These people we are talking about also have families. We have umunna in everyday Igbo language.
“There is no one on earth who does not have a family. Let the family react. The family will tell you if they need help or not,” he said.
He also stated that the confraternity has a Board of Trustees led by veteran actor Joke Sylva.
He called on stakeholders and citizens to request the AGN trust fund, so that when issues like this arise, they do not have to approach the citizens for help.
He said: “Emotions do not solve problems. We have created the systems we use to solve these problems. In the last two years, we have distributed over N6 million to members in need, and we are going further.”
Initial denial
Shortly after the release of the first video, veteran actor and filmmaker Shan George denied that Mr. Anuku was dealing with mental issues.
According to him, the actor was fine as they have been on the set of a new movie ‘Coming to Onitsha’.
Reacting to the clip, Shane rubbished speculation surrounding the video.
According to him, the viral video was a scene from a movie, and they were in Asaba, Delta State for a movie project.
“Hanks doesn’t do anything or we have the same set. These photos were from three days ago,” she captioned a photo of herself and the actress on her Instagram status.
In another situation, he posted a clip from the set with the actor.
In the clip, she said, “yes, this is Hanks Anuku. Just beautiful Hanks Anuku. Superstar. This is my sweet baby from the movie.”
He revealed that Mr. Anuku plays a crazy American who returns to be king in ‘Coming to Onitsha’.
Pure help
Nollywood actress Iheme Nancy accused Shan of not being honest about Hanks’ health.
In a post on her verified Instagram page, the actress said her conscience won’t let her rest on Hanks’ disturbing video, which she says is 100 percent true.
According to her, Shane dismissed the claims instead of letting the veteran actress get the help she needed.
“Instead of letting people help you, you withheld a truth. Why Na? Uncle Hanks’ plight is no secret to any actor in Asaba. This is not the case for most Asaba residents as most people have seen them in strange places in an abnormal state,” he said.
She shared her encounter with him at the 1side bar on October 27, where she said she beat him up for almost no reason.
“He said some hurtful words to me and @ujunwa_aninneji, but we were relieved that it wasn’t him. Since that day, I prayed for him to receive help, and finally, yesterday God was about to answer that prayer; you stopped for reasons best known to you.
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“Drinking in a bar, walking around Asaba is not new. Also, this message is to plead with well-meaning Nigerians. Hanks Anuku needs help,” he added.
in June 2020, Hanks denied the second death rumor They were selling about it in a month.
The actor shared a similar video on his Facebook page on June 6, which sparked six rumors of his death on social media.
The movie star has appeared in several Nollywood thrillers including ‘Face of a Murderer’, ‘Broad Daylight’ and ‘Men on Hard Way’.
Regina Askia introduced Nollywood, and her first role was in the movie ‘The Skeleton’.
Since then, he has appeared in more than 50 films.
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