Entertainment
Fatal Arrogance: Pete Edochie Cries Out Over Threat To Life
A veteran actor, Pete Edochie, has raised alarm over threat to his life for acting in a film that portrayed Shiites as terrorists.
The Nollywood actor, cried out after his life was threatened over his involvement in a multi-million naira movie sponsored by the Nigerian Army aimed at depicting the Islamic Movement in Nigeria as a terrorist organisation.
According to Sahara Reporters, the movie titled, “Fatal Arrogance” was sponsored by the Nigerian Army as part of a cover up of the December 2015 massacre of Shiites by soldiers.
Over 348 people were said to have been killed, with 347 bodies secretly buried by the Army in a mass grave during that incident.
In the movie shot in Enugu State and produced by Anosike Kingsley Orji, Edochie was featured in a role with an outfit resembling Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the IMN, who has been in detention since December 2015.
Reacting in a 12-minute video following the backlash that has greeted the movie production, the Nollywood actor claimed that he was not aware of the theme and script of the film before accepting the contract to feature in it.
He disclosed that he also minimised his role in the film production as a guest actor and asked Nigerians not to condemn the movie until it was released.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, also known as Shiites, has attacked veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie, over his role in the new movie, ‘Fatal Arrogance.’
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Musa Ibrahim, and made available to the media on Tuesday, the IMN said it found Edochie’s explanation of his reason for participating in the movie “flawed and his excuses unimpressive, irrational, and at best absurd.”
The veteran actor had in a-12-minute video clip on his Facebook page, explained his role in the movie which the IMN believes was sponsored by the Nigerian army.
“Firstly, any serious artiste worth the name must, first of all, undertake some kind of serious research to get the facts of any script brought to him right.
“This must be done through intense reading of the literature and interviews with scholars who are conversant with the facts. Pete Edochie did none of that.
“Had he been bold enough to cross-check, he would have realised that genocide took place in Zaria in 2015 where over a thousand lives of Nigerians were wasted by the sponsors of the film.
Spotify yesterday revealed a significant surge in heartbreak song streams in Nigeria during the Valentine’s Day season, with a 626 percent increase between 2022 and 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria by Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu.
Okumu said, “Spotify data reveals a surprising trend, a massive surge in heartbreak song streams.
“Nigerians are turning to their playlists to express their emotions, with a staggering 626 per cent overall growth in heartbreak streams from 2022 to 2024.
“This Valentine, the sound of love is accompanied by the sound of heartbreak, and the data shows it’s louder than ever before.”
She said on Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362 per cent increase compared to 169 per cent among women.
“This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions.
“Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, when love is in the air, so is heartbreak and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected.
“While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day -more than what’s publicly shown,” she said.
Nigerians will join their counterparts across the world to mark the 2025 Valentine’s today.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has joined MLS side San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
SDFC announced today that Tems joined the ownership group through her company, The Leading Vibe.
In the process, Tems became the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership.
“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a club partner,” SDFC chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a statement.
“Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project, which, of course, has its foundations in sub-Saharan Africa through the unique Right to Dream organisation.”
Reacting to her addition as the latest partner in SDFC’s ownership group, the singer said: “I am thrilled to join San Diego FC’s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture, and the power of community.
“Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.”
Fashion and beauty entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has claimed she is enduring back pain and that her spine is degenerating.
Lawani revealed this in a video posted on social media last Tuesday.
In the clip, she opened up about her experience with epidural anesthesia, an injection administered to pregnant women in the spine to reduce pain during childbirth.
The mother of three claimed that since receiving the injection, she has not felt like herself.
She accused doctors of not fully informing women about the long-term side effects of epidurals.
According to Lawani, she received the anesthetic injection during the birth of her last two children.
She said, “When you hear ‘epidural,’ run. Doctors tell you about the side effects but do not tell you about the long-term effects on your body. I have about three friends having the same issues that I am having.
“Like, I am just 42, how did I end up with spine issues? I have a degenerating spine. I have implants in my spine. I go paralyzed. I can’t stand for a long time. I can’t even breathe properly sometimes because it affected so many things in my body when I had the surgery.
“They will not tell you because you just want the pain to go away. I have had two epidurals. I had my first as natural birth. The last two were epidural. The last one I had epidural because I had to undergo a surgery and I had no choice.
“See, the pain does not stop. My back is killing me and my spine is degenerating.”