Islamic Movement of Nigeria blasts Pete Edochie for his portrayal of El-Zakzaky

[Edoman]

Islamic Movement of Nigeria blasts Pete Edochie for his portrayal of El-Zakzaky in new movie after the actor alleged his life was being threatened







Proscribed group, Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), has bashed Pete Edochie after the veteran Nollywood actor raised alarm early this week alleging his life was being threatened after photos and video clips circulated, showing him playing a role that seemed like that of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the IMN, who has been held in detention by the Nigerian Army since December 2015.
 
In the yet to be released movie produced by Anosike Kingsley Orji, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria was reportedly depicted as a terrorist organisation.
 
              
 
According to IMN, the movie titled “Fatal Arrogance” was sponsored by the "Nigerian Army to cover up the alleged December 2015 massacre of Shiites by soldiers where 348 people were allegedly killed."
 

 
Early this week, following backlash of the movie by IMN members, Pete Edochie claimed his life was being threatened.
“I don’t understand what the IMN is driving at. The film we shot is not even out, it has not been edited, the production is not complete" Edochie said in the interview released by Sahara Reporters.


“If they have complained to the Inspector-General of Police, and the IGP says give me a copy of the film, what are we going to do because the film is not in existence yet, it is not in circulation.


“I am supposed to have played a role that ridiculed their boss, chief, whoever is in charge of their group.


“I am suggesting that you wait, keep your gunpowder dry, when the film is released, you can now make your grumbles known to the Inspector-General of Police.
“Whatever is being done now is premature, it is not proper.


“Fatal Arrogance, whatever it is, whatever it deals with, I think the best thing to do is to wait until the production comes out.”


"I did not write it, the film was produced by Kingsley Orji Anosike. If you want to express resentment over the production, which you have not watched, direct your grievances to the producer of the film not to Pete Edochie who is a mere actor, it does not concern me.


“I thank all those people who out of concern informed me of the campaign of deliberation of my person, the organised threat of my person by IMN, I thank you all. I’m a free born of Nigeria, I was born and raised in Nigeria. I’m not going to run away from Nigeria because a few individuals think they want things done in their own way.”
 

The IMN have now responded, saying Pete Edochie allowed himself 'to be used' and should stop wailing as he wasn't threatened. The group blasted the actor for his portrayal of shiites in the soon to be released movie.
 

The IMN also claimed the movie was similar to a book written by Kuanum Terrence, a 'military apologist'.
 
Reacting in a statement by Ibrahim Musa, its spokesperson,  the IMN said the ace actor attempted to give IMN a bad name by attracting “cheap sympathy” from Nigerians with his narrative.
 
The sect also said that Edochie’s explanation was “inexplicable, his reasons flawed and his excuses unimpressive, irrational, and at best absurd”.


“The petition written by the IMN to the Inspector General of Police and the Film’s Censors Board doesn’t threaten anyone’s life. Issuing of threats has never been in our character,” the statement read.


“Pete Edochie should be honourable enough to accept that he allowed himself to be used to further vilify victims of one of the worst state-sponsored massacres of its citizens. He could still redeem his name as other actors in the ill-fated film are doing.


“If Edochie has any character as he claims, he would not have accepted to act any role in a film that seems to change the narrative and distort history based on a book distorting facts! If he had any integrity, he would not have accepted to appear in a movie tarnishing the image of an oppressed personality like Sheikh Zakzaky and still think he did nothing wrong because the Sheikh was not mentioned by name.


“Any serious artist worth the name must, first of all, undertake some kind of serious research to get the facts of any script brought to him right.


“Had he been bold enough to cross-check, he would have realized that genocide took place in Zaria in 2015 where over a thousand Nigerian lives were wasted by the sponsors of the film.


“He would have come across the very many attempts by the perpetrators to hide these heinous crimes, firstly by the burial of their victims in mass graves, an internationally recognized crime…


“He would have realized the matter is currently a subject of investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The script before him is a continuation of that desperate attempt to distort facts.”
 
The IMF has petitioned the Films and Censorship Board as well as the Inspector-General of police over the movie.
 

[Edoman]

[b]Fatal Arrogance: Yakubu Mohammed Ready To Pay To Get His Scenes Removed

KANNYWOOD: I am ready to pay for damages to get my scenes removed – Yakubu Mohammed to film producer, Kingsley Orji Anosike[/b]

Kannywood actor, Yakubu Mohammed , has expressed regrets for featuring in a Nollywood film titled ‘ ‘Fatal Arrogance’ and has asked the makers to remove the scenes he appeared in.

Popular Nigerian Actor, Pete Edochie, plays the lead role in the film, which was shot in Enugu and produced by Anosike Kingsley Orji.

The film’s behind-the-scenes and a 12-minute-clip from the set are already generating controversy, especially among members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Shiites.

In a statement published on their official Facebook page on Tuesday, the group said they were shocked by the film ‘‘where the popular Islamic Movement in Nigeria and its leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky are being depicted and badly portrayed as terrorists.’’

Mr Mohammed told BBC Hausa that he regretted appearing in the movie, even though he tried to persuade the filmmakers to correct some things in the movie he feels will not go down well by many people, especially in Northern Nigeria.

“I never knew some of the scenes in the film will be portrayed in that manner. I only acted (in) my scenes, which I appeared six times in different places. In the film I was shot, and later died.

“It was a film that showed the clash between Nigerian Army and members of the Shiite movement in Zaria, and many members of the group were killed. When I read the script, I saw nothing castigating Islam in it, but you know script can change at some point, that was what happened.

Mr Mohammed also said he has asked the producer to remove him from the film, and that he is ready to pay the producers damages for doing that.

“I have told the producer to remove all my scenes in the movie, that I am ready to pay for damages, which is what the rule says.”

According to the actor, the producers told him that the film was sponsored by an NGO.

“Yes, nobody threatens me but I have seen how people on social media pages are abusing and calling (me) names for appearing in the film.”

Mr Mohammed had also said “there is a place that every Muslim, if he sees it, must be concerned. There is a photo of Mr Pete Edochie walking around in a Muslim dress, with a bottle of beer in his hand and with a girl.’’

“I really regretted appearing in that movie.”

People who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday said the film should not be released at all and insisted that Mr Mohammed get himself out from the film.

“This is Northern Nigeria, and you know how our people think about things like this. For a film coming from the Eastern part of the country, and wrongly putting Islam in a negative way, that will not be accepted here.

“So, for me, the best thing that will happen is for the film not (to) be released and Yakubu should make sure he is not in that film. People will not understand him, especially the Shiite movement,” a social media commentator, (Abubakar) Hassan, said.

Kabiru Rabiu, a resident of Hotoro in Kano, told PREMIUM TIMES that justice was not done to Islam and IMN.

“I don’t share (the) same belief with the Shiite followers but it is beyond the group. They did not put Islam in a good limelight. The producers should have liaised with core Northern producers when writing the script and even during production. For me, that film should better be dropped” Mr Rabiu said.

Another resident of Zaria, Kaduna state, Kasim Bala said, ” I don’t know what is in the film, but it is totally wrong for an Igbo man to make film base on a book that talks about Islam and Muslim, especial in Nigeria, without consulting Muslim filmmakers to help with some scene.

“They way (they) see things is not what it is here. Yakubu should save himself and make sure he is not in that film. Thank God it is not out, it would have been another thing now.

Some commentators, who also spoke to our reporter, said it was an agenda by the Igbos to put Islam and the North in a bad spirit while some insisted that the film should not be released and advised Mr Mohammed to disassociate himself from the film.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/kannywood/415200-kannywood-i-am-ready-to-pay-for-damages-to-get-my-scenes-removed-yakubu-mohammed-to-film-producer.html