Oba Of Lagos, Akinolu Calls For Removal of Eyo From “Gangs of Lagos  Oba of Lagos.

Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has asked the producers of the movie, “Gangs of Lagos”, and Amazon Prime Video, the video streaming platform it is on to immediately remove, as well as cease from using the image and manifestation of the Eyo masquerade in the film.

Oba Akiolu, in a statement made available to newsmen, described the movie as a defamatory and sacrilegious one, which inflicted huge reputational damage on the Eyo brand.

Recall that “Gangs of Lagos”, which was Written by Kay Jegede and Jade Osiberu, and released on Prime Video on April 7, 2023, had come under criticism for its portrayal of the Eyo masquerade as the ‘first gang of Lagos’.

Earlier, Oba Akiolu had, in a three-page letter to Osiberu’s Greoh Studios and Amazon Web Service, on June 28, insisted that the image and manifestation of Eyo should be removed from the movie, accusing the producers of using the appearance of the Eyo for commercial gain and exploitation without permission or due reference to the oba’s office.

Akiolu, as well, gave a 14-day ultimatum, which would expire on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

Separately, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, the Isale Eko Descendants’ Union and other notable actors, such as as Jide Koskoko, had at different times disagreed with the portrayal of the Eyo masquerade in the movie.

However, a co-writer of the movie, Kay Jegede, had stated that the movie did not set out to denigrate the Eyo culture, explaining that a film is about characters, and if a criminal disguises himself as a revered cultural symbol, it does not equate to the filmmakers disrespecting the symbol.

Credit: Punch Newspaper