Controversy rages over death of popular dancer Picture Kodak
The death of popular dancer and video vixen Love Divine Ike popularly known as Picture Kodak has sparked vicious arguments on the internet as social media users point accusing fingers at ace music video director Clarence Peter over the dancer’s death.
Picture Kodak who was a prominent face in many Nigerian pop music videos featured in music videos of popular musicians like Olamide, Burna Boy, Tekno, and Wizkid among many others. She died on Wednesday April 29, 2020, after she was reportedly electrocuted while trying to charge her phone at the home of popular music video director, Clarence Peters in Omole, Ojodu area of Lagos. She was a member of the Westside Lifestyle dance crew.
Kodak’s death is coming exactly a year after controversial Lagos socialite Mike Nwogu, aka Pretty Mike accused music video directors in the country of preying on video vixens by sleeping with them to feature them in music videos.
“But like we all know, there is a dark side in every industry, Video vixens most times aren’t paid that well, most of their pay depends on the directors, artist n budget of the video. Top directors such as @Clarenceshotit @unlimitedla @Paul_Gambit over the years have been known to take advantage of these girls and they are also the top womanizers having the record of sleeping with the most vixens,” Pretty Mike wrote on his Instagram page on April 29, 2019.
Eyewitnesses account say the energetic dancer died of electrocution, despite this some fans and social media users are finding it hard to believe their story and have been suggesting that Clarence Peter had a hand in her death.
In different posts and social media comments seen by Neusroom, some netizens called out Clarence Peter telling him he has questions to answer over Kodak’s death and called on the police to carry out a thorough investigation.
“Na una kill Kodak, how will she die trying to charge her phone, which kind socket you put for house, you are responsible baba, nothing wey they fit tell me, her death dey your hand or hear, whichever,” an Instagram user with the handle @nikeovahoes wrote in the comment section of a post on Clarence’s IG post.
Another user @Serahsassy wrote: “CP… please I just want to know if you know those connections were not stable… how did she end up being the one that got electrocuted. Why didn’t anybody say the electric was not stable? I have so many questions CP…Please I need answers.”
Clarence who is the son of veteran Afrojuju musician, Sir Shina Peters, and Nollywood actress Clarion Chukwura was arrested by the Police at the weekend in connection with the death of the dancer.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the arrest on Sunday, said Clarence is in custody to aid investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kodak’s death.
“We are also waiting for the autopsy result. Investigation is a natural cause. It is important for him and it is also good for any other person who was there. If nobody has a hand in it, the report will clear everybody. If the result says it is a murder case, the law will take its cause. That is exactly why we have him, that is exactly what we are doing,” Elkana told PremiumTimes on Monday.
Amid speculations and conspiracy theory circulating on the internet, Clarence, on Monday, shared his account of the story and also debunked claims by the Police that he was arrested, “no one has been charged or arrested, by the Police. The witnesses and I willingly made ourselves available to the Police and we have all pledged our full co-operation, through every part of this process,” he wrote in a long post on his Instagram page.
Giving account of what led to Picture Kodak’s death, the music video director said he was not in the dance studio which is also on the premises of Capital Dreams Pictures, where the incident occurred on Wednesday April 29.
“At about 7:30 pm on the same day, while in another office – a building beside the dance studio, on the same premises, some people who were said to be with Love Divine at the time, rushed in and called my attention to the fact that Love Divine had collapsed. We immediately rushed her to the nearest hospital, which refused to let us into their premises, let alone admit her. They assumed she was a Covid-19 patient,” Clarence wrote.
He further explained that efforts to seek medical help for Kodak was futile as she was rejected at another hospital before eventually giving up at the third hospital, “We eventually got her to a third hospital where she was pronounced dead 30 minutes after arrival.”
He added that from the account of five other team members who were in the dance studio with the deceased, Love Divine, while taking a break from the dance session, was sitting on one of the metal sliding door rails, charging and using her phone plugged to an extension box.
“The witnesses didn’t realize anything was wrong, until they saw she had laid down, and they noticed smoke coming from her chest area. She was said to be electrocuted, her phone was found on her chest, with severe burn marks, and the phone’s imprint on her chest. The witnesses were taken to the Ojodu Police Headquarters straight from the hospital where statements were taken and the phone (which had traces of burnt flesh on it) was deposited.”
He described the late dancer and her dance crew as “a huge part of Capital Dreams Pictures, and losing her hurts us all deeply, she was an exemplary person, and a legend in her own rights. We will miss her very much.”
Neusroom could not confirm Clarence’s claim that he was not arrested but submitted himself for interrogation as the Lagos police spokesperson Bala Elkana did not respond to calls to his phone line as at the time of filing this report.
