*Says, ‘AGN president fighting me because I refused to marry him’

*’I’ve been blacklisted from acting for the past 8 years’

By BENJAMIN NJOKU

Embattled actress Halima Abubakar has vowed not to back down on her legal battle against the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria,AGN, as she threatened to drag him to court claiming N30b as damages for allegedly tarnishing her image. Recall that the Guild suspended the actress last week for alleged slander.

In a statement posted on the Guild’s instagram page, AGN leadership said it found Halima “guilty of spreading falsehood about her colleagues, associates and patrons, including allegations of extra-marital affairs with highly placed individuals”.

According to the Guild, a two-year-long investigation conducted by a special secret panel, uncovered Halima’s “involvement in slandering Nollywood”. It added that the actress would face a disciplinary committee to determine her full punishment.

Meanwhile, reacting to the allegations, the actress expressed shock, insisting that nobody contacted her or gave her an opportunity to respond to the claims before the announcement of her suspension.

In a letter dated October 20, 2024, by her legal team, P.D. Pius & Associates, Abubakar accused the AGN President of deliberately tarnishing her reputation.

Her lawyers’ letter stated that, “Our client has been battling health issues for years, and despite maintaining a professional relationship, you chose this delicate moment during her recovery to spread a false narrative. This has caused her emotional distress and harmed her reputation in society.”

Abubakar’s lawyers further demanded immediate removal of the defamatory publication on AGN’s Instagram page with unreserved public apology, and N30 billion as damages for defaming her. The letter warned that “Unless these demands are met within seven days, we are instructed by our client to pursue appropriate legal action.”

However, in a telephone chat with the Entertainment Plus, Abubakar described the Guild’s action as a gang up against her, as she had not been around for seven years due to her ill-health. She challenged the Guild’s president to come forward with all the evidence and interrogation justifying the allegations levelled against her.

She said, “it was a gang up against someone who has not been around for seven years. I’m just recovering. They didn’t ask me or call me for anything. This man had asked me to be his wife several times, but I rejected him. I have a choice, it is my decision. Imagine what they have been making me go through. What did I do?. Why didn’t they meet me and do a proper investigation. I have been in my village for years until recently as I am trying to find my feet again. So, where was the investigation done?

“I’m not a member of AGN, and the Guild had no right to suspend her from acting. Moreover, I had been blacklisted from acting for the past eight years. I have not been getting jobs but it doesn’t stop me from acting, I have been shooting my own movies.” the actress added.

Abubakar said dragging her into Godswill Akpabio’s affair was ‘witch-hunting’ as she never knew the Senate President. “Imagine trying to drag me into the Akpabio issue. Why and how did my name appear on that list, when I don’t even know Akpabio?”, she said