Nollywood actress Nancy Isime has sparked outrage among Nigeria's Muslim community for wearing a niqab in a robbery scene in an upcoming film, “Three Working Days.”
On Monday, Isime shared photos from a bank robbery scene in the film on Instagram dressed in a Muslim outfit. She captioned the post: “Life lately.”
In the footage, she was wearing a niqab (a niqab is a veil worn by some Muslim women in public, which covers the entire face except the eyes), and holding guns in what appears to be a bank robbery scene.
Jerry Ossas directed the film, which stars Demi Adebayo, Mike Afolarin, Uzor Arukwe, Deyemi Okanlawon, Romeo Horsfall and Emem Ufot.
The film's poster, also revealed in its release, shows women wearing hijabs and face-covering veils brandishing guns during a bank robbery, sparking widespread outrage.
In July 2023, a similar outrage occurred after the first 45 seconds of 'Jaye Lo', a yet-to-be-released music video by a Davido signee, Logos Olori,
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It showed some men dressed in white suits (Jalabiyas) and white caps and dancing in front of a mosque.
The concept sparked anger among Muslims, who called on Davido to take down the video and stop its circulation. After a few days, Davido bowed to pressure from Nigerian Muslims and consequently removed the offensive video of “Jaye Lo.”
Indignation
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) organisation has called for an immediate ban on the film.
The group said it portrays Muslim women as criminals and incites the public against them.
Ishaq Akintola, executive director of MURIC, issued a press release on Thursday, urging the National Film and Video Censor Board (NFVCB) to take swift action against the film.
The statement read: “A highly anti-Muslim film has been released in the Nigerian film industry. The upcoming film, recently released by Nancy Isime, shows women in purdah brandishing dangerous weapons and robbing banks.”
Mr Akintola described the film as “satanic, disgusting and provocative”, warning that it could incite public hostility towards Muslim women and ridicule the wider Muslim community.
“This film is Islamophobia taken to the highest level,” Akintola said. “It seeks to portray Muslim women as criminals, potentially inciting violence and discrimination against them.”
MURIC says these depictions are part of a broader plot against Muslim practices and could fuel tensions within the country.
“We believe that the film is the work of Muslim haters and is part of a plot to prevent Muslim women from wearing hijab and niqab. The plot was hatched long ago and its execution began in schools. Muslims bravely and diligently confronted it in Nigerian courts until the highest court in the country ruled on the matter. This satanic film is the latest effort in the war against hijab.
This hate film may set Nigeria ablaze if urgent action is not taken by the relevant authorities. We therefore call on the National Film and Video Censorship Board (NFVCB) to investigate and immediately ban the upcoming film.
Meanwhile, the call for a ban on MURIC is accompanied by an appeal to the Muslim community to remain calm and peaceful.
As the debate continues, all eyes are on the NFVCB to see how it will respond to MURIC's demand for an investigation and a possible ban on the upcoming film.
Nollywood actress Nancy Isime More pressure
Similarly, an online petition on change.org titled “Mocking and defamation of Muslim women,” started by Maryam Hanbali on Wednesday, calls for a ban on the film.
The petition has already collected 23,670 signatures, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the film from all platforms. The goal is to collect 25,000 signatures.
It is also seeking a public apology from the producers and Ms Isime for what it describes as a thoughtless misrepresentation that has caused significant distress to the Muslim community, particularly women who wear the hijab and niqab.
Bashir Ahmad, former digital communications aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, criticized the X-rated film.
Mr Ahmad added: “The film’s producers should have considered alternative costumes for those scenes, such as balaclavas or masks. For us, the hijab (niqab) is not worn by our women to hide their identity or to commit crimes, but to respect, follow and fulfil the teachings of our religion.”
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Reacting to complaints about the upcoming film, the National Film and Video Censor Board (NFVCB), in a post on X, stated that the film has not been released and it is taking steps to address the concerns raised.
The post reads, in part, “We re-establish that as a rating agency, NFVCB will not overlook any film or video work, including short dramatized content (sketches) that abuses, denigrates or undermines religious, cultural and ethnic sensitivities.”
NFVCB also reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the positive transformation of Nigerian society by classifying films that balance the need to preserve freedom of expression within the law.
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