Piracy Halts Film Business In Idumota

The activities of criminals who pirate Yoruba films in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, have compelled film marketers in the popular Idumota market to shut down business as the marketers are complaining of dwindling fortunes caused by the pirates.

The menace of piracy got to its peak this year when the criminals deployed modern technology to release pirated copies of 5-in-1 DVDs after the release of the original copy by the marketers.

Reports have it that most government rules and regulations were defied by the pirates who are now having a field day.

The Chairman of Yoruba Video Film Producers And Marketers Association, Alhaji Toyin Uthman otherwise called Toymax, confirmed that they have stopped selling films in Idumota.

“The strike is indefinite and we don’t know when it will be called off,” Toymax said.

Toymax decried the lukewarm  attitude of constituted authorities and some stakeholders in combating the scourge, saying that is the only way to sanitise the industry and make it attractive and viable.

He also urged the Nigerian Copyright Commission and other relevant anti-piracy law enforcement agencies to rise to the occasion by performing their statutory duties.

Uthman acknowledged the effort of Lagos State Government in fighting piracy in the industry. “Lagos State Government has been so helpful in this fight against piracy, especially the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.”

—Kayode Aponmade