The Imo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has launched investigation into the deaths of two yet-to-be-identified film actors in Owerri, the state capital.
The actors were reported to have died after eating rice and drinking wine on Friday.
On Friday night, report broke that four actors had been rushed to the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri, where two were pronounced dead on arrival.
One Kaito Karisia, said the movie director who provided the food and drinks had reportedly gone to bed early, leaving the four actors and three ladies partying.
He reportedly woke up in the early hours of Friday to switch from the power generator to the public power supply and discovered that two actors were already dead while the other two were gasping for breath.
Karisia, who shared news of the incident on his Facebook page, said the two surviving male actors were responding to treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri.
He quoted one of the survivors to have recounted, “Their host (the movie director) offered them rice, and everyone ate. He later brought out a bottle of Calypso and wine. They only took a sip and did not drink further.
“However, the two other guys who are now dead finished the drink,” he wrote in his Facebook page.
When contacted on telephone, the Command’s spokesperson DSP Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident, adding that investigations had begun to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Okoye described the incident as “unfortunate and tragic”, stating that two of the actors had been confirmed dead and two others were responding to treatment in a hospital.
“As I speak with you, the Commissioner of Police for Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, has directed a pathologist to conduct tests on the two deceased persons to ascertain the cause of death.
“The results will determine the next line of action in the matter,” Okoye said.
