Chatta added that the development has affected the high demand for horses, which naturally comes with epic movie production.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigerian movie star Ibrahim Chatta has stated that worsening insecurity in the country is gradually crippling the production of epic movies, adding that actors no longer want to feature in them for fear of being abducted.
He made this known recently in a video shared on Instagram while explaining his decision to stop rearing horses.
According to the Nollywood thespian, many of his colleagues now decline offers to feature in films shot in forests because of the fear of kidnappers and bandits.
He noted that the development has severely affected the high demand for horses, which naturally comes with epic movie production.
He further stated that many Lagos-based actors no longer accept jobs that require them to film in forests around Oyo State because of recent security incidents.
He said: “Actors based in Lagos, if you tell them a movie will be shot in Ibadan, they won’t want to come because of the Oyo incident. Everyone is scared of filming in the forest, and nobody can be blamed.”
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While explaining why he stopped buying horses, Chatta traced it back to low patronage arising from the decline of epic films.
He disclosed that he currently owns about 27 horses, describing it as the lowest number he has had since establishing his famous film village.
He explained that he previously bought horses in large numbers from northern Nigeria, especially from communities close to the Niger Republic border.
The versatile actor lamented that epic films once created enough demand to justify purchasing 10 to 15 horses at a time.
He, however, noted that things have now changed, saying: “I wasn’t motivated to buy more horses… I didn’t buy any this year because there’s no money.”
Chatta concluded by saying that he now invests in cows because producers are no longer renting horses as frequently.
