8th July, 2023
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu has described the ‘Gang of Lagos’ movie as defamatory and sacrilegious for depicting the Eyo as criminal gangs that commit grotesque murder and visit terror on innocent citizens.
The monarch is speaking for the first time since the production of ‘Gang of Lagos’ four months ago.
The monarch, in a letter dated 28 June, 2023 asked Amazon Web Service, Greoh Studios and the film producers “to immediately remove, cease and desist from using the image getup and manifestation of the Eyo in the Gangs of Lagos.”
In the letter addressed to the managements of Amazon Prime Nigeria and Greoh Limited, the monarch listed four conditions that the producers and promoters should meet within 14 days.
The Gangs of Lagos has been a subject of controversies among the indigenous people of Lagos State with the Isale Eko Descendants Union claiming that the film depicted Isale Eko as a den of criminals and Eyo masquerade as a gang of murderers.
The film was released officially on April 7.
The descendants of Isale Eko had equally instituted a suit seeking N10 billion damages against Amazon and other producers over what they described as huge reputational damage the Gang of Lagos inflicted on the Eyo brand.
In his letter dated June 28 and copied the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Oba Akiolu claimed that the illegal representation of the Eyo has caused huge reputational damage to the Eyo brand by the defamatory movie portrayal as an instrument of terror, mayhem, and murder.
Akiolu added that on the international stage, potential tourists and visitors to Lagos were likely to query the authenticity of the Eyo as true cultural heritage event deserving of respect and reverence.
The monarch stated that the film producers had used the complete getup, indistinguishable image and traditionally designed and ordained appearance of the Eyo which formed part of the cultural heritage of the indigenous people of Lagos, for commercial gain and exploitation without permission or due reference to the office the Oba of Lagos.
According to Akiolu, he is the custodian and final authority of the Adamu Orisa and its manifestation, the Eyo, saying that these traditional rites were the tangible and intangible property of the indigenes of Lagos, which are their bundle of rights of its intellectual property in its cultural heritage.
“This cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes, that has been inherited from past generations over two hundred years ago, maintained in the present by the Oba of Lagos and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.
“These traditions express our way of life and thought. They are proofs of our intellectual and spiritual achievements. They must not be used without the indigenous owners’ express permission or desecrated in any way whatsoever,” he said.
He stated that the film grossly violated the rights of the indigenous people of Lagos contrary to the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007.
Akiolu argued that under the international law, the declaration protects “our indigenous right to practise and revitalise our cultural traditions and customs.
“This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of our cultures, includes artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature.”
Akiolu demanded that the continued use and depiction of the Eyo in this film and its obvious violation of its indigenous intellectual property rights as well as, at the same time defaming its sacred rites, should stop forthwith.
As parts of peace conditions, the monarch directed the film producers to immediately remove, cease and desist from using the image get up and manifestation of “the Adamu Orisa – the Eyo – your film Gangs of Lagos.”
Akiolu also asked the film producers to submit within 14 days a proposal for consideration – for the restitution of the sanctity of the Eyo brand.
The monarch asked the film producers “to provide within 14 days compensatory proposal for the infringement of our intellectual property rights in our cultural heritage which your have commercially exploited without license.”
Akiolu further demanded that the producers of Gangs of Lagos should submit within 14 days a draft of an appropriately worded apology to the Oba of Lagos and indigenous people of Lagos.