Veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, has rubbished claims made by some Nigerians that restive youths have learned vices such as kidnapping and money rituals from Nollywood movies.

Following the alarming rate of kidnappings and ritual killings recorded across the country, there have been claims that Nollywood movies have in one way or the other influenced Nigerian youths into thinking that it is an alternative source of making money

Recently, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed that filmmakers in the country have been asked to avoid making money ritual content. He stated that the Federal Government’s decision to sanitize social media is hinged on confessions of some money ritual suspects. Read here.

The spokesperson of the Ogun state police command DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi also stated that some of the suspects arrested said they learnt the act via Nollywood movies. Read here.

Responding to these claims, Kosoko in an interview with Channels TV, said;

”It’ a wrong accusation. A very wrong accusation. People should not forget that we have a responsibility to mirror the society and this not just by …we only try to mellow it with the entertainment. 

It is our duty to let you know what happens at the other end for it to guide you, for you to be informed so that you can be able to know what and what to do. 

We have heard of politicians embezelling money here and there. Are you saying that they learnt embezzlement in our movies too? All those people displaying money here and there, at occassions, at various functions. Are we the ones that taught them that? 

In every production we would never glorify evil. Whichever movie that idiot that says he watched a movie that med him to be kidnapping, go and see that movie. What is the end of that person that kidnapped people? Why did he not learn from that and desist from going into the business of kidnapping rather than saying it is the movie. So it is not right. We have our own duty to mirror the society and give it as it is. One of the things we do, we get them from the public. We try as much as possible to play down on them before dishing it out.

I agree that the country is hot now and everybody should play down on whatever that can aggravte violence, not our industry alone. 

Politicians should stop displaying money everywhere that entices this negative youth thinkers.”