Bimbo Thomas a Nollywood actress has described a terrifying incident in which armed bandits broke into a hotel that housed the cast and crew while filming Omo Ghetto Part Two in Ebute Metta, Lagos.
The actors were terrified when the attackers, who appeared to be aiming for filmmaker Funke Akindele, burst into the hotel late at night.
In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, Thomas said that local thugs frequently disrupted the filming of the thuggery-themed film.
“We were filming in Ebute Metta, and boys would always come on set to disturb us because it’s a thuggery movie, and they felt we were depicting their everyday life.
“It’s my hood. I grew up in Ebute Metta, so I thought they would accord me that respect, but we still had to bring security so we could shoot freely,” she added.
Thomas said the ordeal began around midnight with loud bangs and shouts of “Ole! Ole!” as the attackers tried to force their way in.
“We didn’t know what to do. We were praying. Funke is a prayer warrior, so we all started praying,” she said.
“I told them, ‘She’s the face here.’ We tried to put Funke under the bed, but it didn’t work, so we moved to the bathroom,” she said.
The attackers eventually broke in and took Akindele away, forcing her to sing and dance.
“When they came back the second time, it was clear they were looking for Funke. They kept calling her name.
“I thought they would just take what they wanted and leave us, but they told her to put on her clothes and dragged her downstairs to her car.
“I came downstairs and heard her singing Emi Omo Ghetto. I didn’t understand what was happening. They asked her to sing and dance, and she did,” Thomas said.
The attackers were later chased away by security forces, and some were reportedly arrested or killed.
Thomas linked the attack to an earlier incident on set where some locals were arrested and made to apologise.
“Some boys disturbing us were arrested and made to record apology videos. Even though we had settled the area before filming, that incident offended them,” she said.
“I was thankful. At that moment, I was ready to attack one of them without thinking of the consequences. I could have been killed.
“When Funke later asked why I didn’t give her up to them, I told her, ‘If they were going to kill you, they would have killed us together. We thank God. Truly, we thank God,” she added.
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