''someone is out to tarnish my reputation''!
controversial actress iniobong edo is once again in the news and this time its for something far more shocking..a recent publication (not encomium)published a story of how the actress was aprrehended for drugs and is currently cooling her heelsin police custody.this report which the actress affirms is a work of her detracters is the hottest talk in town.we contacted the actress who at the time of this interview was in far away asaba on a movie set and she granted us a little time from her busy schedule whilst lamenting that the publication has caused her nothing but sleepless nights.hear her''this is the worst thing anyone can ever come up with,it is plain wicked and i know that there is a God up there who will fight my battles for me,hes not sleeping.how in the world can anyone assocaite my name with drugs is what i cannot even comprehend''..the actress whos voice was laced with pain lamented further and we decided to make this a formal interview by asking her questions which she responded to before returning to continue with the movie she was on location for.theres always two sides to every story...here is hers!

1...In a recent publication,it was alleged you were apprehended by NDLEA operatives for being in posession of drugs,can you please give us the scenario of exactly what happened?
......There is no iota of truth in the story. I don't know where the story emanated from but for the record, I have never been involved with drugs.I make a very comfortable income from my job and I am satisfied with it so why would I take such a risk being fully aware of the repercussions?

2...Do you think this is a work of your ''detractors' or you actually did something at the airport which resulted into this news making the rounds?
....Of course it's pretty obvious someone has plenty of time on their hands and would stop at nothing in tarnishing my reputation. This rumor was yet another attempt.

3. What was your mission to the UK? how long was the trip? What day did you return?
...I was there on Vacation. I spent about a week and I've been back since monday april 14,20084

4...what have you been up to since you returned?
....Work. I had to report to location in Asaba the following day tuesday april 15,2008 and I'm still here as we are conducting this interview.

5....so you are categorically telling everyone now that you were not arrested for drugs either in the UK or in lagos?
....The story was a blatant lie. You can go ahead and contact the NDLEA yourself to confirm. It's a very simple matter

6..okay lets move on from that one.lets address the issue of your love life if i may use that word. a recent publication also alleges that your lover pracically 'ran' back to the US because of the heat his estranged wife is causing him in lagos,is this true?

...no comment on that please.

7...we hear you are receiving threats to your life, you want to confirm this?
Yes it's true. I've received all sorts and I don't understand why anyone would want to get rid of me. Those around me will tell you that I'm not a confrontational person; I try to be very cordial with people and to the best of my knowledge, I have not offended anyone .

8.ini,you have a very negative image, does this affect you in your personal life?
..I've realized that I can't stop the Press from putting out fabricated stories about me. I have every reason to believe that this is a gang up.At the end of the day, even though they succeed in creating a negative image of me to the public, I walk around with my shoulders held high because I have a clear conscience.

9. how do you hope to rid yourself of this negative image, obviously your stunt in trying to be charitable didn't help you at all.
..When the ban was imposed on me, I decided to take advantage of the spare time to catch up on some of the personal things I had to do. The visit to the Charity home was one of them. Due to the controversies surrounding the Ban, the last thing I wanted was Media attention. It was a private visit and was meant to be kept under wraps … somehow it was leaked to the Media and I ended up being criticized for using it as a publicity stunt to attract sympathy.

10...you live in nigeria and you are managed by one joy onyeukwu who lives in america,isnt this kind of PR expensive?
... I agree it's expensive but it was an important career decision I had to make. The Entertainment industry here could be very challenging. I needed someone experienced with a genuine interest in me and one I could rely on for career guidance.

11...what reactions do your parents have to the negative press trailing you?
..I thank God for the kind of parents I have…. From day one, they have been very supportive of my career. No one knows me as well as they do so when they read these sort of rumors; they are not bothered because they know the truth.

12...why is your website www.iniedo.tv another venue through which your fans can get to you no longer available on the internet?
...We had some issues that needed to be addressed. It should be back online within the next month or so…but in the meantime, my fans on Myspace can reach me through my official page - MySpace.com - Ini Edo

13...you are on Facebook are you the person managing the ID or is someone else doing it for you?
...(Laughs) It's really me…. I haven't had time to log on for a while but as soon as I have some free time, I will.

14....if you were to address your fans via here, what impression about yourself would you like to correct?
It's important they know that I am not what the Media portrays me to be. I am a human being and I am bound to make mistakes but most of the negative stories they've read about me are untrue. I worked really hard to get this far in the industry and I will not associate myself with anything that would put my career in jeopardy.