Veteran Nollywood actor Hanks Anuku has finally responded to the wave of public concern that has trailed him since a distressing video showed him lying by the roadside in Abuja over the weekend, telling worried Nigerians in blunt terms to leave him alone.
The fresh clip, shared by a man who said he encountered the actor on Tuesday, shows a visibly calmer Anuku pushing back at the speculation surrounding his condition. “Y’all haven’t seen anything yet.
You all should face your government and leave me the hell alone. If you don’t have a better thing to do, go do something; I’m good,” he said, appearing composed in contrast to the earlier footage that alarmed fans across social media.
The controversy began on Saturday, June 27, when video emerged online showing the 64-year-old actor sitting and lying on the bare ground along a street in Abuja’s Wuse 2 district, muttering to himself while clutching a disposable cup.
The footage showed the actor appearing distressed and talking to himself, leading to mixed reactions and speculation about his well-being.
The individual who filmed the encounter insisted the scene was not staged, writing at the time that there was no film production underway and that the actor “did not look good,” calling for mental health assistance.
The clip quickly triggered an outpouring of concern from fans, many of whom grew up watching Anuku’s fearsome “bad boy” performances in Nollywood classics such as The Senator. Some social media users called on the Actors Guild of Nigeria and the actor’s colleagues to intervene, while others cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
Amid the growing furor, Anuku’s manager, Moses Allen, moved to douse the concerns. Speaking exclusively to Premium Times on Monday, Allen insisted that Anuku remained mentally stable and in good health, describing him as an artist whose unconventional behaviour was being misread by the public.
“Kindly let the world know that the legend Hanks Chukwuemeka Anuku is sound and has, in fact, never been in a better mental state than now, please. He’s simply an artist, and I really wonder why the world expects artists to be like normal people,” Allen said, suggesting his client may have been rehearsing for a role or “trying to float” imaginatively.
This is not the first time videos of Anuku have stoked public anxiety. The actor previously made headlines in November 2022 after a viral video showed him dressed in worn-out clothing wandering the streets, a claim he later dismissed, insisting the footage had been recorded on a movie set.
In 2023, Anuku admitted he had struggled with depression, which led him to drink alcohol, though he denied using hard drugs, attributing his troubles to years without acting jobs and pressure to provide for his family.
He also said in 2024 that persistent rumors about his mental health had cost him acting jobs and damaged his career, insisting some of the viral clips had been taken out of context.
As of Wednesday, the Actors Guild of Nigeria had not issued any official statement on the matter, and the true circumstances behind Saturday’s video remain unconfirmed.
For now, Anuku’s own defiant words appear to be his final say on the episode, even as the fresh footage does little to fully settle a debate that has followed the actor for years about the toll fame, financial hardship, and public scrutiny can take on aging entertainers.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
After days of viral videos and public panic over his well-being, Hanks Anuku has personally confirmed he is fine, dismissing the concerns himself, a stance his manager also backs.
However, with no official word yet from the Actors Guild of Nigeria and a history of similar unresolved incidents dating back to 2022, the full truth behind what happened in Abuja remains unverified, leaving genuine questions about his welfare still open, even as the actor insists there’s nothing to worry about.
