Actor Francis Duru has refuted widely circulated rumours that he is suffering from a fatal disease.
Fans and coworkers expressed alarm after footage of the actor in a weak state went viral on social media, sparking the rumours.
Duru responded to the allegations in an Instagram video on Friday, claiming it was nasty and fake.
He claimed to be getting stronger and to have never been as ill as he is now.
“I am making this video regarding very wicked videos circulating about me being sick to the level that you could see in that video. Well, I have never been that sick and will never be. And by God’s grace, we keep getting stronger and stronger,” he said.
The seasoned actor criticised those responsible for the clip. He described them as merchants of darkness who create negativity to drive online engagement.
“That video is the handiwork of merchants of darkness, of wickedness, people who sit and concoct negativity for people. You just don’t want to see people rise,” he said.
ALSO READ: Nollywood Star Actor Francis Duru Loses 15-Year-Old Son
He raised concerns about the rising use of manipulated content, potentially involving Artificial Intelligence (AI), to mislead the public and damage reputations for traffic.
Duru said the people behind such videos do not want to see others succeed and warned that social media and AI could become a serious problem if used to spread falsehoods.
“You just don’t believe in people’s success all in the course of driving traffic. And if this is what social media is all about, or AI. Then we are in big trouble indeed.”
He noted that the rumours caused distress among his friends and acquaintances, with many calling him out of fear and confusion.
He asked the public to disregard the false reports and confirmed that he is in good health.
“But this is just to let you guys know that this is me talking to you. Anything beyond this is their business. But I believe God will reach out to the guys who are doing this very soon,” he added.
“Suffer not the witch to live. Please, my friends who have been embarrassed, scared, even to call me and those who just call for calling’s sake, but just to know whether it is true,” he added.
Duru added that any information beyond his video did not come from him.
“Well, this is me. I said, let me just put this little video to let you know that anything beyond this is something from somewhere,” he concluded.
He added that those spreading the rumours would be dealt with soon and thanked friends who reached out to check on him.
