The Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over an upcoming Nollywood movie, Fatal Arrogance, starring Pete Edochie.
The movie is directed by Anosike Kingsley and according to the Islamic sect, it depicts their movement as a terrorist organization bent on destroying the nation.
Fatal Arrogance revolves around the incident between the Shiite Sect and the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, in Kaduna.
The incident led to the killing of more than 1,000 members of the sect, including the children of its leader, Sheik El-Zakzaky.
Zakzaky and his wife have been in jail since the incident occurred, leading to protests by members of the sect in Abuja and Kaduna, calling for the release of their leader and his wife.
The new movie portrays men of the Nigerian Army who killed the Shiite members as heroes, sparking outrage from members of the group who petitioned the IGP and the National Film and Video Censors Board.
In a recent statement released by the President of the Media Forum of the Shiite group, Ibrahim Musa, they alleged that the movie which was sponsored by the army could cause disunity in the country.
Part of the statement reads:
“The Islamic Movement in Nigeria wishes to call upon the respected professionals of Nollywood to address this issue immediately.
If film producers are not careful, some disgruntled elements in governance will make them side with the oppressors against the oppressed as the film “Fatal Arrogance” is meant to achieve. Genocide is involved here; any move to justify the brutal and inhuman Zaria genocide of December 2015 is an affront on the Rome Status of the International Criminal Court.
Evidently, for every Nigerian, these clips are meant to disparage the peaceful movement and portray it to the world as a violent armed movement.
We want the world, Nigerians in particular, to bear witness that this film, ‘Fatal Arrogance’, can be used in creating conflicts among our diverse communities. It is a propaganda machine that can deceive millions, and it’s also an easy way to use for character assassination.”
It can be used to distort the truth, free criminals, and blame the victims as well as making the bad guys the good guys. We, therefore, call on well-meaning Nigerians to put pressure on the producers of that abominable film to stop it.”
