The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has suspended Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar for alleged defamation.
The guild, in a statement posted on its verified Instagram page, claimed that a two-year investigation by a panel it established showed that Halima defamed some of her colleagues.
“Following the exhaustive investigative report of the special Secret Investigation Panel created to carry out an internal clandestine secret investigation into the activities of some blogs/bloggers since 2022,” the AGN wrote.
“After two years of painstaking investigations, the Panel discovered that Miss Halima Abubakar was behind all the defamatory information of our members, associates and patrons, especially news of extramarital affairs linked with high-ranking people in the society emanating from the industry”.
The association said Halima, despite the suspension, would still face disciplinary action.
“Halima Abubakar is therefore suspended indefinitely from the Screen Actors Guild of Nigeria. He will face the National Disciplinary Committee to determine his total punishment. During this period of your suspension, you are not allowed to participate in any AGN activities or filming.
“National/state chapter task forces have been duly mandated to monitor compliance with the above order, as violations of suspension rules may result in further disciplinary action.”
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The AGN also stated that some unidentified female members of the association are currently under observation by the investigation panel.
“However, some female members of the watch list are being investigated by the secret panel, especially in the recent publication of names who allegedly had dealings with the Senate president.”
It is unclear what impact such a suspension would have on Halima's career. Although the AGN has many members, not all actors are members of the group and their actions cannot prevent independent film producers from choosing to feature Halima.
Halima's previous controversy
In a controversial claim that made headlines in 2022, Halima accused Johnson Suleman, Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, of breaking his promise to marry her.
She also alleged that the cleric gave her a life-threatening illness, a condition she said had plagued her for years.
Not long after Halima revealed her affairs with the controversial cleric, popular blog Gistlover published a long list of Nollywood actresses allegedly sexually associated with Suleman. Many of them denied the accusation, as did the cleric.
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The allegations escalated when, in January 2023, Suleman responded by filing a billion-naira defamation suit against the actress, insisting that her claims were baseless and damaging to her reputation.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Abuja High Court ordered Halima to pay N10 million as damages for defamation.
Halima, 39, began her acting career in 2001 with a minor role in 'Rejected' and then landed her first lead role in Gangster Paradise.