The release of ‘Dark October‘, a debut movie by Linda Ikeji, the blogger, has sparked a wave of mixed reactions on Twitter.
The movie — which is based on the story of the four students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) falsely accused of theft and lynched on October 5, 2012 — premiered on Friday.
Its release had come after families of the four victims kicked against the project while accusing Ikeji of not seeking their consent.
The families had in a statement by Integrity Friends for Truth and Peace Initiative (TIFPI) threatened legal action if the movie is not taken down.
In spite of the warning, the movie was released as scheduled and was received with a mixed bag of criticisms and accolades.
While some Nigerians on Twitter tackled Ikeji for going ahead with the movie’s release, other users defended the blogger over the project.
Here is what some Nigerians had to say:
"Dark October is a complete work of fiction"…… dedicated to Aluu 4
This response by Linda Ikeja clearly exposes the fact that most media brands care less about ethical conduct, lie blatantly and claim creativity over historical facts all for monetization.@peekaymila pic.twitter.com/YOUQhkFJKh
— Personality Highlights With Julie Uche (@iamjulieuche) February 5, 2023
Linda Ikeji is a despicable human.
She made a movie about the Aluu 4 victims without the consent of the parents.
Went ahead to release the movie on @netflix, even after the parents expressed their dissatisfaction and opposed the idea.
How could @netflix let this happen? pic.twitter.com/4JT59qN9WW
Advertisement— Plangkat (@peekaymila) February 4, 2023
Watching Dark October as a Rivers State person, I want puke my guts out.. Accent, portraying Rivers as Igbo ??? Fucking foolish movie.. Messed up story line and very lazy shit..
— Sophisticated Iyawo ™️💻 🧑🏽🍳🍷 (@elegantiyawo) February 5, 2023
Advertisement
i hope this dark october isn’t about those boys that died in Aluu community
— LONDON(Akan) (@london_Akan) February 5, 2023
This movie made me Shared premium Tears 😭 #DarkOctober #Aluu4 pic.twitter.com/6Cg7yaNhjW
— D_real Noyo (@D_RitchopsWarri) February 5, 2023
These are all films made of Aluu 4 in the past? No one talkd abt them, no 1talked abt the producers? U know y? Bcos they were all failures -poorly done, cheaply done. How many of them got "permission" from parents? #darkoctober produced by Linda Ikeji is a classic, get used to it pic.twitter.com/fVSaRwvePQ
— V.O.B (@Valobil) February 5, 2023
They never got to perform at the Student Union Week, neither got back the money.
It’s a touching story! Pls stay out of trouble, never lend out money you can’t let go, say NO to Jungle Justice.Dark October is a good movie I can recommend, don’t ask me if I cried.
— Dami’ Adenuga (@DAMIADENUGA) February 4, 2023
The parents will be proud of this film… I Spent months in pH doing research for this movie and u can tell it was worth it because Linda Ikeji never does ordinary. #darkoctober is a hit…… @lindaikeji did a great wonderful job pic.twitter.com/ONJnd1LOMD
— V.O.B (@Valobil) February 3, 2023
This Dark October (Aluu 4) by Linda ikeji would definitely make you cry.
Just finished watching it. pic.twitter.com/ga4onivNbR
— Alhaji Halal Abdul 👳🌟 (@Just__Halal) February 5, 2023
I cried watching dis movie DARK OCTOBER 😭😢 y’all remember d jungle Justice dat happened at uniport, ALLU 4 on October 5, 2012 at 9:29 am. This movie had so much to tell, the agony, the pain they felt before killing them…Jungle Justice is a Dark Beast, say no to it… pic.twitter.com/70UHNSZSoP
— PHERA💧 (@feranminikan) February 3, 2023
Damn I just watched DARK OCTOBER
I’m so traumatized and heart broken. It’s not something to be watch 😭😭— Achiever (@Simple_Achiever) February 5, 2023
Who is Dark October and why are we boycotting it? @noir_xiii @officiallyk10 pic.twitter.com/Yjko1mZQAQ
— Big Debz ✨ (@RomeoProMax) February 5, 2023
‘YOU’RE BARKING OVER NOTHING’
A screenshot of Ikeji’s response to the families and critics of the project also surfaced online.
In her response, dated January 27, Ikeji had asked critics to “stop barking over nothing”. She added that the project was a “complete work of fiction”.
“Dear Livingston and partners, thank you so much for the press statement you put two days ago. It brought so much awareness to this film that talks about jungle justice as a menace in our society and the things that needs to be done to stop or curtail it,” it reads.
“You’re barking over nothing. Dark October is a complete work of fiction. Dedicated to the memory of Aluu 4. There are no facts in the film. I wish you’d watch it before taking any action because I guarantee you, you would be wasting your time and resources.
“The movie does not carry the names or images of the boys you mentioned. There are no family members represented in the film apart from a fictionalised mother and sister. The story is not about their lives. It was fictionalised.
“Aluu wasn’t even mentioned in the movie, we used Aku. Every other thing used in the movie are information available online for anyone to read or use. The rest any lawyer can get from the court the trial took place.”
Copyright 2024 TheCable. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from TheCable.
Follow us on twitter @Thecablestyle