Nollywood actor, Chidi Mokeme has come out to mourn the tragic demise of his younger sister and cousin.

He recently had his say via his social media page, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, the last few days have been very crazy for him because his younger sister, Ebele Mokeme Uche-Nwene, who would have been 48 next month, died after being ill for some time.

Chidi added that his 35-year-old cousin Nicole Mokeme, on the other hand, was also killed by a hit-and-run driver, and the police are still asking for the public’s help in locating the vehicle.

His words, “Gone Too Soon!”

“It’s been a crazy couple of days as our family mourns the loss and transition of our angels.”

“It is with profound sadness that I share with you the untimely and unfortunate passing of my immediate younger sister Ebele Mokeme Uche-Nwene, who would have been 48yrs next month and My Cousin Nicole Mokeme, 35. While Ebele lost her battle to illness, Nicole was killed by a hit-and-run driver.”

“May their spirit-filled souls rest eternally in the Lord, and I solicit your prayers for Ebele’s young twins, Nicole’s daughter, our family, my mum, Nicole’s parents, and the loved ones and friends they left behind. I’m compelled to share this information because Nicole’s killer is still out there on the loose. The Maine State Police, and the Maine Department of Public Safety are in search of the hit-and-run vehicle described as a 2016 black BMW X3 SUV with Maine license plates 5614WM and is registered to 35yr old Raymond Lester of Portland.”

“The Police are asking for the public’s help in locating the vehicle. If you see the vehicle, or have any reliable information, please call the Maine Police Department immediately.”

WOW.

Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject to several controversies.

The origin of the term “Nollywood” remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema.

Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”, the American major film hub.

Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, and marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking and filmmakers from most of the regional industries.