According to Daily Graphic,
Nollywood actor Frank Anuku who was part of a movie crew of 11 was allegedly
arrested for causing panic during the shooting of a television series on
Spintex Road in Accra.
Other members of the crew
that were arrested are George Adu Badoo, Joseph Heisk, Ivy Bentum, Adjetey
Roberts, Eluheaka Mensah, Arhin Wakila, Mary Acheampong, Emmanuel Anumaka,
Charles Roger Beckly and Sherrif Sandy Brown.
The movie crew was said to
have fired gunshots indiscriminately about 3 a.m. yesterday, causing residents
of the area to think it was an armed robbery attack. Road users were said to
have put a called through to the Police Control Room through the emergency
numbers.
Briefing journalists
yesterday, the Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police
(DCOP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said:
“Most motorists who were
using that stretch of road, upon hearing the loud command of “Stop! Stop!
Stop!”, sensed danger and quickly reversed, causing a lot of chaos on the
Spintex Road. “A patrol team was quickly dispatched to the scene, only to
ascertain that the supposed gang was a crew of a movie production company known
as Rabell Entertainment,” he said.
The movie crew who were
acting a robbery scene were accosted by the police. The DCOP said that the
police found that the crew members were using a shotgun, fire crackers, two
rubber-made pistols and toy machine guns to shoot a movie without any lawful
permit; An offence that is punishable.
“More importantly, if care
was not taken by the police, there could have been exchange of fire which could
have led to the death of many because what the police witnessed on arrival
portrayed a robbery operation,” he said.
Although the police were
not against film-making because of the enormous role the industry played in
society, he however pointed out that causing panic and using fire crackers
without the proper permission of the police are offences punishable under the
law. He further explained saying if such activities were not discouraged, any
group of persons under the same modus operandi could pretend to be acting a
movie but would end up committing robbery.
However, in a later
interview, one of the directors of Rabell Entertainment, Billy Jane, admitted
that the crew had not obtained permit for staging the violent scene which was
part of a three-year television series titled: “Late Night Scenes”, which was
scheduled to run on a number of television stations in Ghana soon.
She said that the crew was
going home after shooting some scenes in a club when they decided to stage one
of the scenes on the street. She said the company had always sought the
assistance of the police any time it shot a movie which required permit or
protection from the law enforcement agencies. “We are sorry. It was an
oversight. I am sure it will not happen again,”she pleaded.
Daily Graphic
No comments:
Post a Comment