The comedian turned movie producer,
Ayo Makun cries out to the Police.
Apparently, his popular movie, ’30 Days
in Atlanta’ has been pirated and copies
are being sold in traffic and the streets of Lagos.
He wrote an open letter to IGP. Read below-

Dear sir,
It is with the deepest sorrow that
I pen these words. I have never
understood the true meaning of
the saying “only the one wearing
the shoes feels the pain”, till
recent times. Since the advent of
Independent Producers, piracy
has become the bane of the
industry because as the saying
goes ‘monkey de work, baboon
de chop’.

The excitement that greeted the
movie industry through the Box-
Office success of 30 Days In
Atlanta has quickly turned to
sorrowful awe as I heard the
news that the result of my sweat
and sleepless nights has been
sold by a traitorous miscreant,
yet unknown, to a dubious
marketer in Alaba. The news that
would have made not just more
Nigerians but also foreigners
invest in Nollywood, has been
dampened by the nefarious
activities of intellectual pirates
who hide in Alaba.

I have contacted Silverbird Film
Distribution (whom I submitted
the master of my movie to), Mr
Afam Ezekude DG National
Copyright Commission and Mr
Ahbu Ventures who heads a
session of Alaba where the
Criminals are operating, Yet
nothing visible has been done to
take my movie off the street.
I have always heard of the risk
faced by honest producers of loss
of revenue due the activities of
the incessant piracy cabals
operating freely, without fear of
the law in Nigeria and within the
past few weeks, this has been my
experience as I heard of the leak
of my movie to various nefarious
elements. Enough is enough of
the economic hardship that is
created for hardworking movie
producers by some of these
Alaba pirates who would do
anything to reap from where they
did not sow.

Sir, it has been argued that the
impressive figures posted as
revenue accrued to Nollywood
are a mere drop in the ocean if
the malaise of piracy is properly
nipped by the effective
implementation of the anti-piracy
laws by the relevant
governmental agencies. Alaba is
part of Nigeria and as such the
activities therein ought to be
governed by the laws of Nigeria.
Even the laudable financial
facilities made available by Mr
President to be accessed by
producers towards the
development of the industry both
as an employer of labour and a
growing contributor to the annual
revenue of Nigeria will be for
naught if the piracy vampires
continue to have a field day. The
continued dominance of piracy
will either lead to producers
refusing to make more movies for
fear of loss or that producers who
go ahead to make movies using
such funds will then be forced to
become indigents because they
will unable to pay back the loans
accessed due to these vandals.
Sir, Nollywood is a multi-billion-
naira industry and the opening of
new cinema houses across the
country is indeed cause for the
celebration for both producers
and lovers of Nigerian movies but
the major challenges of the
Nollywood industry from its birth
till date has been the issue of
transparent distribution channels
and the malaise of piracy.
No more should a miscreant be
celebrated or allowed to rape
intellectual properties of honest
hardworking citizens with
impunity while the owners of the
property impotently look on. No
more should movie producers
and other intellectual property
owners scrabble to quickly make
the little they can before ‘Alaba
boys’ get their hands on the
content and turn a goldmine into
a dunghill.

I urge you to use your good office
to use your actions in arresting
the illegal spread of 30 Days In
Atlanta as a standard for
changing the status quo and
letting the miscreants know that
no one is above the laws of
Nigeria.

I wait your intervention sir.
Thanks

AY

Just in case. ....

The persn in position of the mater CD ,shud b apprehended joor

The story2long abeg, but The persn in position of the mater CD ,shud b apprehended joor