The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Chief Emeka Rollas, has been arrested and detained by the police in Umuahia, Abia State.
Rollas was arrested over his alleged role in the imposition of an unelected chairman on the Abia State chapter of the guild.
This development follows the election of David Onyebuchi Amalaha as the Chairman of the AGN Abia State chapter on May 20, 2023, in Umuahia, the state capital.
Since the election, the guild has been engrossed in a series of legal fireworks initiated by Amalaha, who has sought to prevent the imposition of interim leadership by the AGN’s national body.
Some guild members, including Chika Okezie, Egwuatu Daniel, and Nathaniel Nwoko, spoke to journalists about the incident.
They accused Chief Rollas of sowing discord among members in Abia State by appointing over five interim chairmen since 2023, bypassing the will of the guild’s members.
The controversy escalated on Thursday when Chief Rollas convened a meeting in Umuahia without consulting key stakeholders or the elected chairman, Amalaha.
This action sparked protests from some members, leading to a disruption of the meeting. Police were called to the scene to restore order.
According to sources, a petition had already been filed against Chief Rollas at the zone 9 headquarters.
He was subsequently detained alongside Emmanuel Ehumadu, popularly known as Labista.
