Nollywood actress Toyin Abraham says she is ready for a fight with pirates after her new movie, ‘Malaika’, was leaked online less than two weeks after the movie was officially released for exclusive viewing in the cinema.
Ms. Abraham said she spent N500 million on the movie, noting that piracy of her works had resulted in her having panic attacks and being hospitalised at various times.
Speaking with journalists in a viral video, the actress said she saw the video of ‘Malaika’ pirated and posted on Telegram.
The movie was exclusively meant to be shown in the cinema on December 21, 2023.
Ms. Abraham’s ‘Malaika’ was leaked online barely three days into the new year. On Thursday, 11 January, the actress and the movie’s co-producer, Seun Olayemi, lodged a criminal complaint alleging that some elements had criminally pirated their latest movie.
Police authorities subsequently said they arrested no fewer than five persons for allegedly committing the crime.
The spokesperson for the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, Ikoyi Lagos, ASP Aminat Mayegun, paraded the suspects before reporters at the FCID, Alagbon, Lagos.
Mayegun disclosed that the suspects were allegedly involved in conspiracy, infringement of intellectual property, piracy, and cyber-related crimes related to the unlawful utilisation of cyberspace to broadcast the movie.
She said Abraham and her movie’s co-producer, Seun Olayemi, on Thursday, complained alleging that some persons had criminally pirated the ‘Malaika’ movie.
The spokesperson added that the complainants alleged that the elements unlawfully and fraudulently accessed the movie, uploaded it to their website, and created a streaming web link for their social media followers worldwide to view the film free.
“Following the receipt of the petition, a joint investigation involving the Special Investigation Units of the Anti-Fraud and Cybercrime Sections of the Department was launched, while the unique intelligence and cybercrime assets of the Force were optimally deployed,” Mayegun said.
The spokesperson said that these initiatives, follow-up coordinated actions by crack detectives and further investigations on the case led to the arrest of the suspects.
She said AIG, in charge of the FCID Alagbon, Idowu Owohunwa, had assured of his determination to continue collaborating with the movie industry actors and the Nigerian Copyright Commission to rid the space of criminal elements.
In her reaction, Ms. Abraham said she shot ‘Malaika’ for almost two months at the cost of close to N500 million and so it was devastating for her to “just see it out there”.
“I opened the (Telegram) link and saw Malaika. I wanted to run mad, it was like my whole world was coming to an end right in front of me,” she said.
She added that she cried and made several calls before she and her team started breaking the links of the ones uploaded.
“Google sent us an email that the links had been broken. That is why I took it upon myself to fight piracy. This is not just about me but the entertainment industry because this is the only thing we do,” she said.
