Chioma Toplis said people stopped helping the actor when they noticed he was enjoying the money he was making due to his illness
By Kehinde Okeowo
Leo Mezie, a popular Nollywood actor died at the age of 46, in an Abuja hospital on Saturday, May 14, while recovering from a kidney transplant.
After the news of his death broke on Monday, May 16 on social media, a lot of Nigerians berated his colleagues in the movie industry for abandoning the actor.
But his colleague, Chioma Toplis, who broke the news of his death refuted claims that he was abandoned, saying the actor’s refusal to be transparent in his dealing made people lose interest in him.
In a lengthy post online, Toplis recounted how money was donated to Mezie in 2016 for him to undergo surgery and how he stopped his colleagues from visiting him at the hospital.
ALSO READ:Nollywood actor, Leo Mezie passes on at 46
The thespian noted that after a few months in the hospital, Mezie returned, claiming he didn’t need surgery again and held a huge thanksgiving in the church where he claimed to have been miraculously healed.
Toplis wrote: “In 2016 money was contributed to his surgery including the huge sum that the Apostle gave him. He later came to London with his then-wife for the surgery.
“I and another actress who was in London contacted him so we could visit him in the hospital but he did not allow us to come see him. Months later he came back and didn’t look like someone that had such major surgery. “
She continued, “He organised a huge Thanksgiving service at the Apostle’s church where he said that he miraculously healed. That his failed kidneys were revived in London and the doctors there said that he didn’t need surgery.
“People questioned who then diagnosed him and booked the surgery of which money was donated.”
The actress went on to say Mezie continued to live a normal life after the incident till news broke again that he was ill again and needed donations.
She said his colleagues began to donate again until the late actor asked the foundation to give the money realised to him and they refused because it was against their policy.
Toplis added that people soon lost interest in Mezie’s case and it was obvious that he was enjoying the money he was making as a result of his illness.
She wrote, “Like I said a lot of people lost interest in his case even the Apostle that helped him the most. The plain truth is that he was enjoying the money he was making out of his illness. His wife left him and relocated to the US when she got a visa’.
“His family and extended family took over and helped him with dialysis, and raised the N17m for the transplant which was done about a week ago. Yes, he has family members about three of them live in the US. Unfortunately he died on Saturday and his corpse was moved to Umuahia on Sunday.”
