Worried about recent reports of sexual harassment in Nollywood, the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has introduced dedicated telephone lines to enable victims reach out to the guild.
The AGN president, Emeka Rollas, revealed this in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday.
Mr Rollas said the move became imperative following recent cases of alleged rape and sexual molestation of some individuals in the industry.
He said he has directed his Senior Special Assistant on Sexual Harassment and Related Abuses, Ronnie Dikko, to quickly open a dedicated telephone line and email to enable victims to reach out to the Guild.
“This will enable us to seek redress and offer counselling process for complete healing. The recent revelation of alleged rape and sexual molestation on some individuals in the film industry is calling for serious attention and I must put an end to such abuse,” he said.
“It doesn’t speak well of us and of me as the president of AGN, I must restore sanity into the Nollywood industry as part of my commitments toward protecting my members and the image of this noble body.”
Mr Rollas also specifically directed victims to Ms Dikko and also gave the e-mail address as: “abuses@actorsguidofnigeria.com, or call 0705 397 5522 for direct information”.
According to him, the communication lines will be opened and all related matters will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect of victims.
The development comes amid recent cases of sexual assault and murder in the country.
Nollywood cases
A popular Nollywood filmmaker, Lancelot Imasuen, is the latest to be accused of sexual assault as calls for the protection of girls and women from sexual harassment and brutality gain traction in the social media.
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Mr Imasuen, who is the director of ‘Invasion 1897’, was accused of sexual assault on Thursday.
His accuser, Nollywood starlet, Sylvia Oluchi, accused him of groping her during a film shoot in 2008. She stated this in a whatsApp group chat, ‘filmic’.
Sylvia wrote: “When we were filming Bent Arrows back in 2008 in Abuja. You told me to come to your room in the hotel after the shoot at night (we were all camped in the same hotel). You made some moves, when I refused, you physically pinned me to the bed and shoved your tongue down my mouth while squeezing my boobs.”
She also stated that her tears forced the veteran director to change his mind.
Reacting to the allegation, Imasuen said he would not comment openly on the matter.
“It is still a private matter so I am not in a position to make a statement. The group chat where the accusation was made is a private one and the group’s admins have set up a committee to investigate the allegation.
“So, while I am surprised as anybody else-it is from 13 years ago, I have been advised to be quiet. It is an industry thing for now and cannot be made public.”
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