Adunni Ade, a Nigerian actress who was born in the United States, denied owing the late actor Murphy Afolabi N250,000 prior to his passing.

On Sunday, May 14, 2023, Murphy Afolabi passed away after allegedly tripping and falling in the restroom.

On Monday, February 22, an Islamic cleric charged Adunni Ade with repaying the late star during his eight-day Muslim funeral rituals.

The preacher demanded that the actress and other Nollywood stars return the money that they owed Afolabi before his passing.

But on Tuesday, May 23, the actress responded to the claim made by her attorney by denying it on her Instagram account.

She claimed to have reimbursed the late actor for the N150,000 that had been sent to her for a role in a 2021 film.

The actress wrote, “Sometime in July 2021, the late Mr. Murphy Afolabi reached out to me, requesting my services for a movie production,” along with a screenshot of her bank balance.

“He appealed to me stating that it was a self-funded production that he couldn’t afford my professional fee, but that he would need my moral support.

“I asked how many scenes and duration were expected of me on set. He said 10 scenes and that I would spend one day. He offered to ‘fuel my car’ as an honorarium, which payment was made on 02 July 2021 for N150,000.

“Unfortunately, on 11 July 2021 shortly before the commencement of the production, I lost my younger brother. I contacted Mr Murphy Afolabi a few days afterwards to request for his bank account details, to send him a refund, as I would be traveling to the United States for my younger brother’s funeral, and to spend time with the rest of my family.

“He insisted I hold on to the money while he figured out whether to move the shoot forward or contact me for another one.

“I returned to Lagos at the end of September 2021 and waited for his call. Mr. Murphy Afolabi contacted me on 08 October 2021 and said he wanted to start a new job soon and needed me for 4 days, playing the lead but for the same amount of N150,000 which he had paid in July.

“I respectfully declined, requested his bank account details, and transferred to his bank account the full refund of N150,000 on the same day, 08 October 2021.”