Alaba Film Magnate Nabbed
The police have arrested the Chairman of Ojo Alaba Film Makers and Distributors of Nigeria, Chief Edwin Oragwa
Oragwa has been on the run for piracy in the past two weeks since he abandoned his car at the Aswani Police Station, Isolo.
Oragwa, proprietor of Deraco Production, was arrested at the police headquarters, Ikeja, where he had gone for an undisclosed business.
He was invited by the police earlier following a petition written against him at the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) headquarters after several invitations which he did not honour.
The film producer, NFC gathered, was reportedly lured to Ajao Estate where he was arrested and taken to Aswani Police Station, Isolo.
He was said to have parked his car in the premises of the station and told the police that he was going to show them a document. But he did not return.
After waiting for hours and he did not show up, the police stormed his house and arrested his wife and a worker.
The police later charged his wife and the worker to the Isolo Magistrate's Court for obstructing police investigation.
The Divisional Police Officer, Aswani Police Station, Johnson O.N., confirmed the arrest, adding that the culprit had been taken to CIB headquarters.
Efforts to speak with the suspects at CIB proved abortive but a source at the CIB confirmed his arrest. His wife was seen at the CIB but she declined to talk to NFC.
At the time of filing this report, his Toyota car with registration number EG 906 MSK was still parked at the Aswani Police Station.
The Film, Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN) had earlier cried out over what it described as an attempt by the National Film and Video Censors Board to kill the Nigerian movie industry.
According to the National Secretary of the body, Mr. Emmanuel Ugo, the board recently introduced a new distribution framework which, among others, mandated movie producers and marketers to have a N30 million bank or insurance bond before they can be licenced to continue to operate.