Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners of Nigeria (TAMPAN) has rubbished reports that Ebun Oloyede, a popular Yoruba actor widely known as Olaiya Igwe, is dead.
Some online news platforms had reported that Olaiya died at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday morning.
One of the reports stated that the actor died during the surgery of his Kidney stone.
However, a TAMPAN official described the reports as “Rubbish and Fake.”
He said: “It’s fake news and I can confirm to you that Olaiya Igwe is alive.”
UCH has also reacted to the reports about the actor’s death.
The Public Relations Officer of UCH, Toye Akinrinola, said:
“I am not aware of anything like that. A journalist had called me earlier on the matter. We just checked; there is no record of him at the Emergency Unit of the hospital. At least, if he died at the hospital, the Mortuary record should have revealed that to us,” Akinrinola said.
Veteran actor, Dele Odule, has also debunked the reports.
He said, “Rumour of his death is untrue. Olaiya is still very much alive. I spoke with him on the telephone about an hour ago and he was very much alive.”