Nollywood veteran actress Cynthia Okereke has died. The actress, known for her starring roles in Katakata and Idemili, passed away in Engu Wednesday following a brief illness Wednesday, a year after she endured a terrifying week-long kidnapping, Emma Onyemeziem, Chairman, Actors Guild of Nigeria, Delta State chapter, confirmed to Vanguard. According to Ene Brown, Okereke suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes. She was 63.
Okereke’s passing was also confirmed by filmmaker and actor Joseph Okechukwu, who paid emotional tribute to the actress in an Instagram post, writing that he is “shattered beyond words. The fact that I was about to pay for your flight ticket to come to finish what we started only to hear you went to be with Lord just last night is one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to deal with in recent times. I pray I’m able to recover from this shock. Life is really just a mist. One minute you have it, the next you don’t. For the more than 20 years that I’ve known you, you’ve been such an amazing, decent and lovely soul to be around.” Okechukwu concluded, “I never imagined you’d exit so unceremoniously. Words fail me. Sleep on, Cynthia. May your gentle soul rest on till we meet again in glory.”
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Okereke’s death comes a year after she and fellow actor Clemson Cornel Nonyelu, better known as Agbogidi, were kidnapped on July 29, 2022, while returning from a movie location in Ozilla town in Enugu state. The abductors later contacted the two actors’ families demanding $100,000 as ransom, and, per the Premium Times, mocked the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN) after the organization only raised N1.2 million as a ransom for their release. Okereke and Nonyelu were released after 10 days in captivity and taken to Unique Grace Foundation Hospital in Enugu for a medical check-up, the pair later opening up about the ordeal in a video shared by the AGN.
“My BP is high, but to God be the glory for all of you. Your effort and your prayers ensured that Cynthia is alive. I will act for you people and continue to work for you,” Okereke said in the video. “They thought I was going away, but I am not. For a good one week, I was there without water or food. But today, I say God to you be all the glory forever and ever.”
Born in 1960 in Enugu State, Okereke made her acting debut in 1998, getting her big break in the film King Jaja of Opobo. She went on to play Sofia in the film Osofia in London opposite Nkem Owoh. Her other credits include Sound of Love, Second Burial, Lion Finger, Hidden Tears, MegaMama, Mr Ibu’s Wedding Day, and many others.
