The remains of Ms. Abigail Frederick, a talented Nollywood makeup artist who unfortunately died in a boat accident that also killed Nollywood star actor Junior Pope, have been reburied in Akwa Ibom State.
The funeral service, sponsored by the Akwa Ibom state government, took place on Monday, April 15.
The terrible occurrence occurred last week Wednesday on the Anam River in Anambra State, while the Thespians were returning from a movie shoot with others.
According to Gistlover, Abigail was first buried by the riverbank because her parents could not afford the villagers’ demands for rituals and the cost of transporting her body back home for burial.
However, Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, who had commiserated with the family, ordered that her remains be exhumed from the river and properly buried.
The administration claimed it was unaware of the situation and ordered her remains to be removed and transported to her home state for appropriate burial.
Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Eno, Ekerete Udoh, who spoke on behalf of his boss at the weekend, said:,”One of the victims of that accident, Ms. Abigael Edith Frederick, was a quintessential example of our young people who have hearkened to our clarion call for them to ‘Arise and Shine’. She was a 24 year-old graduate of Theatre Arts, who had found her passion as a make-up artiste.
“We are deeply saddened by her painful passing and on behalf of the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State, we sympathise with her family, the Nollywood community and her friends and colleagues over this sad loss.
“We have also followed and read the reportage, especially on the social media platforms surrounding her burial and wish to state categorically that, government was not informed of the circumstances that led to her burial.
“Governor Umo Eno has consequently directed that her body be brought back to her family for a proper and decent burial. As the famous theme song of the Liverpool Football Club goes, the bereaved family will not ‘walk alone’.”