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  • Updated: January 14, 2021

Controversial Òlòtūré : Tobore Ovuorie Replies Mo Abudu

Controversial Òlòtūré : Tobore Ovuorie Replies Mo Abudu

Tobore Ovuorie an investigative journalist who accused Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu and her company, Ebony Life Films of copyright infringement, has responded to Abudu's video on Òlòtūré copyright

The controversial movie Òlòtūré, which follows an investigative reporter who goes too deep into the seedy world of sex trafficking; drew inspiration from the report Inside Nigeria’s Ruthless Human Trafficking Mafia by Ovuorie for Premium Times back in 2014. 

Mo Abudu on Tuesday released a video claiming that EbonyLife sought the permission of Premium Times as they own the rights to the report, not Tobore.

The Ebony Life boss added that to fulfill all moral obligations, she also sought out Tobore, interviewed her, gave her credit, and promised her money for her foundation.

Ovurorie has now reacted to Mo Abudu’s response on Facebook, addressing each of the points she raised and listed her demands.

In her lengthy reaction, Ovurorie stated that she sent messages out to all the contacts on her phone subsequently, to inform them to please remember her family and her in prayers; including Aunty Mo, at that time (before the release of Òlòtūré ).

Ovurorie further stated that she never asked Mo Abudu for money. Rather, Mo sent her a message to send her account details for her to send a token towards her dad's burial. which she (Ovurorie) did. And she subsequently sent me N100,000.00 (one hundred thousand naira).

READ ALSO: Oloture: 'Movie Producers Free To Produce My Prison Story' - Soyombo

She also said, "My former editor at the Guardian newspaper, Mr. Fred Ohwahwa also sent me some money on hearing my dad had passed on. Several former bosses and colleagues and people I have NEVER even met came through for me. I was and I am still very grateful to all of them. Having watched the video, I now begin to wonder: The N100,000 sent by Aunty Mo, was it more than a gift? Was it intended to buy my silence when the film would be released?"

Ovurorie also stated that her obvious interest had always been to be given appropriate credit for her work, far above the compensatory claim.

"Aunty Mo’s claim that I am doing this because of money and because Oloture traveled far is another deliberate attempt at mischief. The question is whether the decision to tag this movie a fiction was a deliberate attempt at maximizing profit? The allusion to the fact that my claim for compensation was outrageous when I am claiming infringement of intellectual property right, shows that a lot needs to be done in terms of re-orientation for the entertainment landscape in Nigeria.

"My obvious interest had always been to be given appropriate credit for my work, far above the compensatory claim. My lawyers’ letter to EbonyLife had categorically demanded for:

• “Compensation for copyright infringement in the sum of $5,000,000.00 (Five Million US Dollars).

• The immediate inclusion of a proper open credit and end credit in the Movie, acknowledging the adaptation of her work in line with industry standards and practice.

The open and end credits of the Movie should be re-edited to read as follows:

Open Credit:
“THIS FILM IS LARGELY BASED ON EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED TO A NIGERIAN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST IN A 2014 PUBLISHED INVESTIGATIVE STORY”.

End Credit:
“THIS FILM IS AN ADAPTATION OF:
WEST AFRICA| UNDERCOVER INSIDE THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING MAFIA, AN INVESTIGATIVE STORY BY TOBORE OVUORIE PUBLISHED BY ZAM MAGAZINE, NETHERLANDS, ON 22 JANUARY 2014 AND SUBSEQUENTLY BY PREMIUM TIMES, NIGERIA”.

 

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