Nollywood has a way of presenting their resentment for the Nigerian police over corrupt practices. But it is sometimes a bit off and absurd. If a movie producer wants to send a message to the Nigerian police, they should be able to come forward with it. A large number of movies made in Nollywood are detrimental to the image of the Nigerian police.
Vanguard Nigeria has reported that The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr. Suleiman Balarabe, has sought partnership with Nollywood and the creative industry to ensure a more positive image for the police. The Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria led by its president, Sele Sele, paid the police headquarters, Enugu a visit. It was during the visit that the commissioner made this known.
Many people live by what they see on screen. This is why Nollywood has to make an effort to present an honest and balanced narrative of the police. In Nollywood movies, it almost looks like anybody looking for easy money or an unsuspecting way to scam people joins the Nigerian police. The Nigerian police are asking Nollywood to be more responsible and portray them also in positive lights.
We saw typical examples of one-sided representations of this in the movies ‘Baby Police’ and ‘Police Recruit’. Several older films also portray the same image.
‘Police Academy’
In this movie, the police force becomes a refuge for a number of people looking for a better life. They join the police academy to train to become police officers. According to the movie, even people who do not understand English are welcome to participate. We believe people need some level of education to join The Nigerian police. But this film makes it look like any dumbo can join the police force. The new police officers also did not waste any time in showing how uncivilized they were after arriving at the academy.
‘Police on Duty’
This movie shows the detestable method that the police uses to interrogate suspects. From the movie, you see how they lay accusations on people who know nothing about a particular crime. This is a syndrome that the country is facing today.
Fair and Balanced
These movies are just a few out of the many Nollywood movies that we have seen the Nigerian Police portrayed negatively. Many Nigerians face assault from the police daily, and most people have been intimidated by the police for no reason. However, we still believe Nollywood can do better in presenting also the positive work done by the police. It is important not being one-sided on this issue.
If you like what we are doing, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
