Nollywood actor says kidnappers killed his father and friend despite ransom payment, plans empty-casket funeral

• Nollywood actor Uche Odoputa has revealed that his family paid a ransom to kidnappers in Imo State in May 2022.

• Despite the payment, the two men were killed, according to the actor, who has now announced plans to bury his father in an empty casket.

• Odoputa says the loss continues to affect his family, particularly his mother and siblings, as he reflects on the pain of losing his father.

Nollywood actor Uche Odoputa has said his family paid a ransom to kidnappers who abducted his father in Imo State in 2022, but the abductors still killed him and his friend.

Odoputa made the revelation in a statement on his Instagram page on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in which he said the saying "may Nigeria never happen to you" carries a pain for his family that is difficult to explain.

He said his father was visiting his best friend in eastern Nigeria when both men were kidnapped. The family, he said, "paid the ransom, yet my father and his friend were killed."

Odoputa said he spoke publicly at the time because the family was searching for him, praying and hoping he would come home. He said the experience affected his health and well-being, that his faith in God has sustained him, and that the pain has been real.

He said the loss has continued to affect his family, particularly his mother, who has had to live without her husband, while he and his siblings struggle with their father's absence.

READ ALSO: Uche Odoputa says father had spent 3 weeks with kidnappers, appeals for prayers 

Kenneth Odoputa and his friend, Raphael Ojukwu, were abducted in May 2022 while visiting their community in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State. In a video shared days later, Odoputa said the two men had spent three weeks in captivity without the family establishing contact with them.

Odoputa also announced on Instagram plans for a funeral for his father with an empty casket because the family has no remains to bury, while encouraging people to ask for help when they can.

In July 2026, residents of Orsu were rebuilding homes under an initiative called Odimma Orsu after years of violence in the area.

The ransom amount was not disclosed, and no one has been publicly reported as arrested or charged over the killings.