Rabo vs. filmmakers: When the prey hunts the hunter…

Since he assumed the mantle of leadership of the KSCB as its Director General, Malam Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim has stepped on so many toes that many believe he has been witch hunting filmmakers in the state over the slightest issue of breach of the board’s laws. Rabo, in his capacity as the boss of the […]

Since he assumed the mantle of leadership of the KSCB as its Director General, Malam Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim has stepped on so many toes that many believe he has been witch hunting filmmakers in the state over the slightest issue of breach of the board’s laws.

Rabo, in his capacity as the boss of the board has, at different forums, insisted that all his actions and inactions in connection to his dealings with filmmakers in the state are squarely based on the provisions of the censorship board laws.

Often, he insists that the board is determined to sanitise and standardise filmmaking, making it fall in line with the teachings of Islam and the values of the Hausa society. To that effect, the board came up with and enforced rules and regulations which were made mandatory for filmmakers in the state to conform to.

As a result of these, many filmmakers who perceive the rules to be too stringent resolve to quit filmmaking, while others migrate to neighbouring states to continue with their career. And those who decide to comply with the rules complain bitterly about how they find it very hard to make ends meet as a result of the long procedures and protocols their materials go through in the name of censorship as well as the fall in market for their products which viewers complain are no longer interesting due to the nature of the themes, storylines, absence of the popular songs and dances and the likes.

This uneasy relationship provided a springboard for the emotions triggered by utterances made by Rabo against filmmakers in a radio programme aired on the Radio Kano some months back.

Rabo, during the programme, stated that filmmakers in the state were irresponsible and accused them of being lesbians and sodomites, claiming that he had proof to back up his statement. The filmmakers found this insulting and degrading to their persons and association as a whole.

However, when the association raised concern over the radio programme and demanded for an apology, Rabo dismissed it as a mere bluff, believing that it was an attempt by the filmmakers to pave a way for unnecessary concern, saying what he did was in line with addressing the social ills for which the film industry was known.

He therefore called for a press conference where he delivered a speech he titled, “Empty Threat is Hereby Emptied” and also played a 15 minute interview with one of Kannywood’s popular actresses for the press. It was an interview with Farida Jalal aired on May18, 2007, by Ray Power FM, in which she spoke on her misfortunes in the film industry and other social ills which Rabo used as bases for his earlier utterances during the radio Kano programme.

Part of his speech read: “Early this week, in my interview with Radio Kano, series of issues where addressed on the achievements of this administration, particularly on the sanitisation and standardisation of Hausa home video practices of which some known and repeatedly historic problems of the industry where revisited for comparison but, unfortunately, a few questionable elements among the filmmakers unequivocally and negatively lauded a particular matter just to open a new chapter for disharmony with mischief in order to bring back the forgotten battle of words between the state and its citizenry on one hand and film practitioners on the other”.

The speech added: “This address is a by-product of the pressing need for the media to balance their stories and the board to have a fair right to reply on the empty threat of those practitioners whose future is endangered or eroded due to our sustainable sanitisation exercises. These miscreants are enemies to the present peaceful atmosphere and the achievements of the board because they are beneficiaries of the old age, the age of unconditional and unprofessional Kannywood industry”.

However, it appears that Rabo’s press conference did not succeed in moving the filmmakers nor call their bluff to seek legal redress.

Members of the Kano State Filmmakers Association filed a motion against Rabo at Waje Upper Shari’ah Court in Kano city, and the court ordered the police to investigate the matter. Rabo was arrested in Kano at around 4 pm last Monday and released on bail on condition that he report to the court the following day.

By Tuesday, the news had spread across town and beyond and, therefore, the court attracted a crowd in anticipation to hear the popular case which unfortunately was not mentioned. Meanwhile, Rabo and representatives of the filmmakers association met at the Nassarawa Police post, where Rabo was initially taken to for interrogation for a probable out-of-court settlement.

Sunday Trust investigation revealed that when Rabo’s programme was aired, members of the association met and decided to inform the Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) about their grievances, while a letter was written to Rabo demanding him to withdraw the statement within 24 hours. Because he ignored the demand, counsel to the association, Barrister Ahmed Garba, wrote another letter giving him five days’ ultimatum to withdraw the statement. Instead Rabo called for a press conference maintaining his stand.

It was in view of Rabo’s refusal to respond to their demand, our correspondent found out, that the association decided to seek legal redress, vowing to fight for the filmmakers’ rights through the right channels.

However, when contacted to confirm the matter, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Baba Mohammed, said Rabo was not arrested but invited based on a court order by the police who were investigating the matter.

Baba added that Rabo honoured the police invitation, answered the questions and was discharged as investigation continued adding that “he was never detained”.

When asked to comment at the police station, Rabo said his lawyers had advised that he should not speak to the press on the matter, and several attempts to get him to speak proved abortive as he answered our correspondent’s telephones calls to say he was in a meeting on several occasions.

The Public Relations Officer of the Filmmakers Association, Isma’ila Na’Abba, also refused to comment on the issue, saying that the case was pending in court.