Nollywood actress, Aisha Abimbola, who died on Wednesday, may have been buried in Canada, according to an SMS sent across by one of her colleagueS.
The message sent by one Bro Wale Ajibola reads;
“Asalam aleikunm, Inna lillahi wa Inna ilehi Raajihun. Today in shaa ALLAH Janaza prayer will commence for our sister in Islam Aishat Abimbola Ayaji, @26 Le Page Courts (Imdadu Masjid) by 1:30 pm and she will be moved immediately to 7732 Mavis Road, Meadovale Cemetery to rest with the mercy of Allah. Maa salam.”
Meanwhile, the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, on Wednesday reacted to the actress’ death.
The association described her death as a great loss to the motion picture industry, globaly known as Nollywood.
Aisha was reported to have died of breast cancer.
The President of AGN, Mr. Emeka Rollas, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that her loss would be greatly felt in the movie industry.
He said, “I extend my condolences to her family and her fans all over the world.
“Her death came at a time when the movie industry was beginning to make great impact on the society.
“It is so sad to see such a budding talent go to waste at a time she could have positively touched many lives through her acting skills.
“It is time we began to take our health seriously.
“It is not possible to totally guide against death, but the scheme will serve as a platform to prepare members from being caught unawares by the cold hands of death,” he said.
Also, Vice President, AGN, South West chapter, Mr. Tope Babayemi, mounred with Abimbola’s family and the entire Nollywood community over the incident.
“This is another sad loss to the movie industry and it is high time we began to take our health seriously.
“God gives and God takes. She was a great actress and her fans will miss her greatly,” he said.
Babayemi said that the current leadership of the AGN had put in place a health insurance scheme for its members to reduce loss of life to a minimum.
In the same vein, Mr. Pedro Aganbi, Chairman of Lagos Chapter of AGN, said that Abimbola’s death was tragic, describing her as a blossoming actress whose potential had just started to come to limelight.
Ali Baba has reacted to the death of popular Yoruba actress, Aisha Abimbola, with a screenshot of their last WhatsApp conversation.
During their last conversation, the late actress had asked if she could call the comedian. She also told him about her stay in Canada and her health issues.
When asked if she was making progress, she said, “yes.”
Ambimbola was formerly married to Victor Ibrahim. They got married in 2005 and had two beautiful children together.
The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, also reacted to Abimbola’s death.According to him, her death came at a time when the movie industry was beginning to make great impact on society.
Other celebrities who have mourned the actress include Toyin Aimakhu, Adeniyi Johnson, Kunle Afod among others.
Although the cause of the actress’ death had not been revealed as of the time of filing this report, unverified online reports claimed that she died of breast cancer in a Canadian hospital.
Abimbola came into the limelight after appearing in the movie, Omoge Campus. She also played lead roles in other movies, including Eje Adegbenro and Odaju Obinrin and produced quite a number of her own movies. One of them is titled T’omi T’eje, which focuses on her experience as a member of the National Youth Service Corps.
Reacting to the news of Abimbola’s passage, fellow actress, Jaiye Kuti said, “The only thing I can say is that the sad news of Aisha Abimbola is shocking. I’m currently on set, but we’ve not been able to do anything since morning because of this. Everyone has been crying.”
Many actresses and actors also took to the social media, especially Instagram and Twitter, to express their grief. For example, writing on her Instagram page, Opeyemi Aiyeola said, “This is too painful to bear…. Seeing your pictures all around me just makes me to cry more. Woe unto you, death.”
While seasoned actor, Yinka Quadri, expressed his shock at the sudden demise of the actress whom everybody fondly called Omoge Campus, a clearly grief-stricken Foluke Daramola lamented that Abimbola’s passage had occurred on the eve of the first anniversary of Olaiya’s death.
Also, actor Yomi Fash Lanso, whose phone was switched off when our correspondent called his line, also wrote on the social media platform, “Yet another sad one…Rest In Peace.”
The Actors Guild of Nigeria, in its condolence message to the family and fans of the departed Nollywood actress, described Abimbola’s death as a great loss to the Nigerian film industry where she positively touched many lives through her work.
Also, the vice president of the SouthWest chapter of the AGN, Tope Babayemi, prayed that God would give Abimbola’s family and the entire Nollywood community the fortitude to bear the loss.
“This is another sad loss to the movie industry and it is high time we began to take our health seriously. God gives and God takes. She was a great actress and her fans will miss her greatly,” he said.
Babayemi disclosed that the current leadership of the AGN had put in place a health insurance scheme for its members to reduce loss of life to a minimum.
Also, Mr. Pedro Aganbi, Chairman of Lagos Chapter of AGN, said that Abimbola’s death was tragic because she was a blossoming actress whose potential had just started to come to limelight.
-Damilola Elemoro
