Entertainment
Fatal Arrogance: Pete Edochie Cries Out Over Threat To Life
A veteran actor, Pete Edochie, has raised alarm over threat to his life for acting in a film that portrayed Shiites as terrorists.
The Nollywood actor, cried out after his life was threatened over his involvement in a multi-million naira movie sponsored by the Nigerian Army aimed at depicting the Islamic Movement in Nigeria as a terrorist organisation.
According to Sahara Reporters, the movie titled, “Fatal Arrogance” was sponsored by the Nigerian Army as part of a cover up of the December 2015 massacre of Shiites by soldiers.
Over 348 people were said to have been killed, with 347 bodies secretly buried by the Army in a mass grave during that incident.
In the movie shot in Enugu State and produced by Anosike Kingsley Orji, Edochie was featured in a role with an outfit resembling Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the IMN, who has been in detention since December 2015.
Reacting in a 12-minute video following the backlash that has greeted the movie production, the Nollywood actor claimed that he was not aware of the theme and script of the film before accepting the contract to feature in it.
He disclosed that he also minimised his role in the film production as a guest actor and asked Nigerians not to condemn the movie until it was released.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, also known as Shiites, has attacked veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie, over his role in the new movie, ‘Fatal Arrogance.’
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Musa Ibrahim, and made available to the media on Tuesday, the IMN said it found Edochie’s explanation of his reason for participating in the movie “flawed and his excuses unimpressive, irrational, and at best absurd.”
The veteran actor had in a-12-minute video clip on his Facebook page, explained his role in the movie which the IMN believes was sponsored by the Nigerian army.
“Firstly, any serious artiste worth the name must, first of all, undertake some kind of serious research to get the facts of any script brought to him right.
“This must be done through intense reading of the literature and interviews with scholars who are conversant with the facts. Pete Edochie did none of that.
“Had he been bold enough to cross-check, he would have realised that genocide took place in Zaria in 2015 where over a thousand lives of Nigerians were wasted by the sponsors of the film.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.