Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has dismissed as false a viral social media report alleging that First Bank dragged him to court over an unpaid N5 billion loan linked to the production of his blockbuster film, Anikulapo.
The report claimed the director obtained the loan in 2022 to finance the movie and agreed to repay it within three years. It further alleged that after Netflix acquired the film, Afolayan settled only part of the debt before becoming unreachable, prompting the bank to pursue legal action.
The post read: “Kunle Afolayan has allegedly received a court Summons from First Bank for failing to repay a 5 billion naira loan he borrowed from the Bank to fund his Anikulapo Movie. According to the report, First Bank has taken legal action against Kunle Afolayan, who borrowed 5 billion naira to produce his movie titled ‘Anikulapo’ in 2022, & He Signed an agreement to pay back the loan in less than 3 years.”
It added: “However, it was reported that Kunle only paid half of the loan after Netflix purchased the movie, and ever since then, they have not heard from him, and he has been unreachable. The report claimed that the court summons had been issued and that Kunle would be in court soon. This was revealed by one of his close associates some days back.”
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Responding to the allegation in a statement to TheCable Lifestyle on Friday, Afolayan described the report as untrue.
“It’s fake news,” he said.
The filmmaker did not provide further comments on the claim.
Afolayan’s latest Anikulapo project, Anikulapo: The Ghoul Awakens, a five-episode continuation of the acclaimed 2022 film, debuted on Netflix earlier this year.