Nollywood actress Bimbo Thomas has recounted a terrifying ordeal in which armed robbers allegedly invaded a hotel housing cast and crew of Omo Ghetto Part Two during filming in Ebute Metta, Lagos, a night she said nearly turned fatal.

Thomas, who played Nikky in the blockbuster movie, her breakout role that propelled her into mainstream fame, said the attackers appeared to have come specifically for filmmaker and lead actress Funke Akindele, following an earlier confrontation on set. Speaking in an interview with Chude Jideonwo uploaded on Saturday, Thomas said filming the thuggery-themed movie attracted frequent disruptions from hoodlums in the area. “We were filming in Ebute Metta, and boys would always come on set to disturb us because it’s a thuggery movie and they felt we were depicting their everyday life,” she said. Despite growing up in the neighbourhood, Thomas said the disturbances persisted, forcing the production team to beef up security. “It’s my hood. I grew up in Ebute Metta, so I thought they would accord me that respect, but we still had to bring security so we could shoot freely,” she added. According to her, the attack occurred late at night after filming had ended. The cast were lodged in different hotels within the area, and Thomas said she had initially stayed elsewhere before Akindele asked her to join her.

“Funke said, ‘Bimbo, no, you have to come here. Let’s do massage.’ We usually do that after work,” she said, noting that actress Eniola Badmus remained in the other hotel. Thomas said the incident began close to midnight. “It was around 12 midnight, almost 1 a.m. We heard loud bangs and people shouting ‘Ole! Ole!’,” she recalled. Panic set in as they realised the attackers were attempting to force their way into the hotel.

“We didn’t know what to do. We were praying. Funke is a prayer warrior, so we all started praying,” she said. In a desperate attempt to protect Akindele, Thomas said they tried to hide her. “I told them, ‘She’s the face here.’ We tried to put Funke under the bed, but it didn’t work, so we moved to the bathroom,” she said.

Akindele, she explained, hid under her gown while they knelt in fear. “The masseuse was praying in tongues, Funke was praying in tongues. Me, I was just begging God—if this cup can pass over us,” Thomas said. The attackers initially failed to gain entry but later broke in. “When they came back the second time, it was clear they were looking for Funke. They kept calling her name,” she said.

Thomas said Akindele eventually emerged from hiding. “I thought they would just take what they wanted and leave us, but they told her to put on her clothes and dragged her downstairs to her car,” she said. She described what followed as deeply disturbing.