By Olaitan Ibrahim
Veteran Nollywood actress Rita Edochie has expressed outrage over the persistent spread of fake death news concerning her colleague, Osita Iheme, popularly known as Pawpaw.
The actress took to Instagram to condemn the false rumours, which she noted have surfaced repeatedly, sparking unnecessary grief among fans and netizens.
In a post, Rita revealed her shock at how quickly people believed the fake news, with many flooding comment sections with condolence messages.
She lamented the growing trend of spreading unverified death rumors about Nigerian celebrities, labeling it a harmful and attention-seeking tactic by some bloggers and content creators.
“This is not the first, second, or even third time such false news has been spread about our beloved celebrities,” she wrote. “These bloggers and content creators are using untimely death rumors to generate traffic and engagements, but this madness must stop.”
Rita Edochie shared her personal experience with similar false reports, recalling instances when photos of her movie scenes were used to fabricate death rumours about her and her husband, legendary actor Pete Edochie. She cited an incident during the production of ‘Calabash’, where her character’s on-screen death was misconstrued as real.
“My great husband and I have been victims of these heartbreaking rumors. I recall when bloggers claimed my entire family had died in an accident or when they falsely reported Sir Pete’s death during his trip to the U.S. This is pure madness and needs to stop,” she stated.
The actress called on society to hold bloggers accountable for their actions, urging a crackdown on those spreading false information. While acknowledging the benefits of social media in empowering Nigerian youths, she criticized its misuse, saying it has done “more harm than good” in many cases.
Rita implored content creators to focus on ethical practices rather than sensationalism, questioning, “If we all die today, as celebrities, who will you have left to watch?”