Egbeigwe Apama: Nollywood Actor Denies Being TMT Ambassador Amid Visa Scam Arrest Controversy
- Nollywood actor Egbeigwe Apama broke his silence after calls from the public for him to be arrested over alleged links to a visa agent Ifeanyi Onukwubiro
- Apama shared phone call logs and a Facebook post screenshot as evidence of his efforts to resolve the visa scam crisis before it escalated to court
- The comedian claimed that he personally urged Onukwubiro to settle with victims and return passports, claiming the agent refused to heed his advice
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Nollywood comedian and actor Egbeigwe Apama has distanced himself from visa agent Ifeanyi Onukwubiro, known online as TMT, following the latter's arrest in Nigeria over an alleged visa scam affecting more than 200 victims.
Source: Facebook
Apama delivered his statement from home, seated against an ornate white couch, sharing phone call logs and a Facebook post screenshot as supporting evidence.
The veteran Nigerian comic actor's tone was tense and urgent throughout as he addressed the issue.
Apama denies any business ties to Onukwubiro
The comedian was emphatic that he holds no formal relationship with the arrested visa agent, who owns TMT Travel and Tours.
"I am not his ambassador. I have never signed any ambassadorial deal with him. And he has not paid me for any advert," Apama stated.
He went further, insisting that Onukwubiro had never processed a visa on his behalf, despite a widely circulated photo linking the two.
"Timothy has not done any visa for me that I took the picture of us that has been flying up and down," he said, adding that other people appeared in the same photo taken at Lavianto and that he would not deny knowing the man but was not his endorser.
Addressing those who felt he should face arrest alongside the agent, Apama said plainly:
"For those saying I should be arrested, I have never collected a dime from TMT."
What Apama claims he did behind scenes
Rather than staying silent, Apama argued he had been privately working to contain the damage long before video blogger VDM and the courts became involved.
He claimed that he called Onukwubiro on a conference call with another individual, known as Cheesy Wheezy, to push him to settle outstanding cases with victims.
The veteran Nollywood actor said he urged the agent to open a WhatsApp group, engage those owed money, and return confiscated passports.
He even named Barrister Chijo Komubaru as a witness to one of those conversations at Rockview Hotel.
"I told him, settle these people so that this whole drama on the internet will stop," Apama recalled. He expressed frustration that Onukwubiro repeatedly ignored the warnings. "This matter will not get to Abuja. In fact, this matter would have been settled over here."
Onukwubiro's arrest followed a flood of complaints from alleged victims who say they paid millions of naira for visa and relocation services that never materialised.
One man reportedly accumulated over six million naira in loan interest after borrowing four million naira for his relocation, while others claimed to have paid three million naira each for promised moves to Switzerland and Sweden.
The Instagram video of actor Egbeigwe Apama addressing the controversy is below:
Reactions to Apama's denial of accusations
YEN.com.gh has compiled reactions from Nigerians responding to the video below:
@olakismet7 wrote:
"Did you come to explain all these to us before VDM stepped in 🙄?"
@doranne_1 said:
"You go explain tire. We saw you guys eating food together 😂."
@kelechicasmir commented:
"Everybody don dey explain. Mc mbakara don talk deny TMT, Prophet Rolex don deny the man. Now, you too una go explain tire."
Nollywood actress Remilekun Atinuke passes away
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported about the death of actress Remilekun Atinuke Kareem, who succumbed to a long battle with cancer, leaving behind a grieving community of colleagues and fans.
As news of her death followed closely on the heels of veteran actor Taiwo Hassan's passing, the entertainment industry faced a profound sense of loss, reflecting the emotional turmoil that swept through Nigeria in recent days.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
