Movie marketers cry out over illegal arrests by Censors Board

Pic-Emeka Mba, DG, Censors Board

The national leadership of the Film Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN) has called on President Umaru Yar’Adua and well meaning Nigerians to save them from the illegal arrests, intimidations and harassments by the National Film and
Videos Censors Board (NFVCB), who are working in tandem with the police.

Speaking at a crowded press conference, which recently held at the Festus Keyamo Chambers, Anthony Village, Lagos, Mr. Paul Chuks Okoli, the spokesman of the body said, the briefing was to inform the Nigerian public about the ugly development taking placing in the Nigerian Movie Industry, also known as Nollywood.

Reading through a prepared speech entitled: “The unacceptable harassments and intimidations of our members by the Censors Board with the Police”, which was duly signed by Emma Isikaku and Ugo Emmanuel, both National President and Secretary of the association respectively, Okoli said: “ It is heart rending that over 90% of those that built the movie industry, the only thing that has brought joy and glory to Nigeria and Nigerians, one of the things that made Africans proud all over the world, are being hounded into police cells like common criminals and we say this can only happen in Nigeria”.

Continuing, Okoli, also a leading filmmaker and marketer maintained that they were not against the new distribution framework policy being proposed by Mr. Emeka Mba, the DG, of the Censors Board. “We are only against the way and manner they are going about it. We are against draconian policies that seek to extort and undermine the growth of the movie industry. Is it not ridiculous for instance, for Mr. Mba to impose N50 million for each marketer as a pre condition for license? Is it within the powers of the board to insist that every marketer should have a legal officer and an accountant? All these are happening when the case is yet to be settled in court,” he pointed out.

Speaking further, Okoli disclosed that several of their members are still being detained. “Mr. Elochuchukwu Anigbodu, our immediate past chairman, Mr. Hyacinnth Onwuka, the vice chairman of our Onitsha branch and Okwy Eneowo, a film producer have been arrested and taken to an unknown destination for days now. The whereabouts of our president Mr. Isikaku, is unknown, after he was accused of threatening the DG of Censors Board and his entire staff.”

Daily Sun, however gathered that the arrested executives were released after spending four days in detention. They were also arraigned in a Makurdi court, before being granted bail.

The marketers body are also urging Mr. Mba and his team at the Censor’s Board to learn from the Lagos State Governor, Raji Fashola, who at the inception of the Bus Rapid Transport, worked hand in hand with the road transport workers already in the business, thus making it to succeed.


While reacting on behalf of Mr. Emeka Mba, his Special Assistant, Mr. Obiora Chukwumba, refuted the story of the illegal arrests. “Over the weekend, the Joint Task Force on Film and Video business comprising the security agencies and our staff carried out arrests of illegal operators in film distribution in Lagos and Anambra States respectively”. He further argued that the arrests were carried out to enforce the provisions of section 25(1) of CAP I40, laws of the federation, 1999.

The aide further stressed that the position of the law is that any person engaging in distribution or exhibition of film without the license issued by the board is considered an outlaw and must be apprehended. “The board is acting in accordance with the law.”

He also maintained that there was no controversy about the framework for distribution and exhibition, adding that over 20,000 businesses have been licensed under the framework and they are dominantly domiciled in Lagos. “Find out if they paid N50 million each. People are generally resistant or not fully yielded to changes very easily”.