Nollywood actor Jerry Amilo, often known by the nickname “Nigger Please” or “Don J”, has revealed how he cheated death after surviving three days in a morgue.
Mr. Amilo, in a recent interview with BBC Igbo, recounted how he survived a horrific car accident that claimed the life of his lawyer.
The 51-year-old actor is recognized as one of the earliest members of Nollywood’s bad boys, a group of actors known for their movie notoriety in the early 2000s.
He kept influence with people like Hanks Anuku, Emmanuel Ehummadu aka Labista, Gentle Jack, also Wariboko and Jim Iyke.
The actor became famous at the age of 18, after landing a leading role in the Nollywood classic, ‘Burno and the Law’.
The film, which was shot in 1992, is touted as the first Nollywood action movie.
Five years after starring in the film, Amilo said that he and his brother had to travel to Ibadan for a business meeting.
He said he and his lawyer, Dilo, were on their way to Lagos to attend a movie award where he won “Best Action Actor” when the front tire of his vehicle suddenly came off its wheel.
He said a bystander at the crash site reported it to police, who would later confirm that all occupants of his vehicle were dead.
the disastrous accident
Narrating his near-death experience, the actor said it was a terrible accident that could have led to his death.
He said: “It is a testimony. It is true that he was gone and I returned after three nights in the mortuary. I was involved in a terrible accident. We all die. That same day the accident of May 1998 occurred, ”said the actor.
Jerry Amilo cheated death after surviving three days in a morgue. __
“It was the day I won the ‘Best Action Actor’ category of an award in his debut. I had gone to see my brother in Ibadan on business. He was coming back with my lawyer. He was driving and suddenly I saw my front tire in front of me.
“He took off the front tire. I turned to Dịlo, my lawyer, to ask him if he was seeing what I was seeing. I couldn’t finish the words. We all die. That was all I could remember. The vehicle flipped, more than 16 times, I was later told.
“According to people’s accounts, I was told that a trailer driver was returning to Lagos from a dump point in Ibadan. He was returning to Lagos when he witnessed the accident. He arrived at the toll gate to inform the police. It was 7 at night.”
three days in the morgue
The actor said that the police, upon arriving at the scene of the accident, made an inventory of the bodies, including his own, and later, they were deposited in the morgue.
Amilo said he was told that his body had suddenly begun to shake after three days in the morgue.
He said, “It’s a hospital morgue for accident victims. it was full. Most bodies begin to decompose before they are claimed. Three days later, it seemed as if my body was shaking. The assistant had been with my body but it did not deteriorate one bit.
“The assistant raised the alarm. The morgue is far from the main hospital building. Those on the road began to run out of panic.”
The actor said he was taken to hospital where he was in a coma.
“They realized that I was still alive and took me to the emergency section. Three days later, I woke up again. Touched by development, my IPO was with me throughout the coma.
“I woke up blind with my jaw broken in three, I was blind with my jaw broken. You would cry if you saw my face at that moment. I hurt my face. If you look at my past movies, you would see them. I couldn’t see with my eyes. My IPO was with me until the sixth day. She explained it to me. They saw my diary, since I always kept one then. For four months, the world thought she was dead. I underwent a series of surgeries to restore my face.
“My jaw was broken in three. I couldn’t eat by mouth for 14 months. I was drinking liquid food through straws. They sewed up my face so the bones could heal.”
the big comeback
Several years after the accident, Mr. Amilo still appears in movies. He returned to the film industry with his role in the 2001 hit movie, ‘Desperadoes’.
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It was the role that established his full membership in Nollywood’s bad boy club.
Apart from his debut role in ‘Bruno and the Law’ (1993), the actor has appeared in other films such as Desperadoes (2001), Wanted Alive (2001), Love boat (2001), Bad boys (2003), Discord (2004). ), Trinity (2005), Across the Bridge (2005), Grandmasters (2006), and Across the River (2006).
Others are King of the Town (2006), Life Abroad (2006), Mafians (2006)
The Lords (2018), The city (2019), Bags of Blood Money (2020), Evil Father (2020), Blood of My Business (2020), War for Power (2020) and Debit Alert (2021) among many others.