A few days to the premiere of ‘Dark October’, a film that tells the story of four students of the University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) who were gruesomely killed in 2012 in Aluu Community, I Rovers State of Nigeria, the parents of the slain students have asked blogger Linda Ikeji and Netflix to halt the planned premiere of the movie.

Speaking through a rights group, The Integrity Friends for Truth and Peace, the family alleged that the said movie was made without their consent.

The group’s executive director, Livingstone Wechie, claimed that the sorrow brought upon the families by the terrible deaths of their children has been reawakened as a result of the movie’s production.

He said: “The attention of the four bereaved families of the ill-fated Aluu Four incident has been drawn to a widely advertised movie titled “Dark October” which was produced by a known blogger by the name Linda Ikeji as stated therein. For the records and sadly so, Linda Ikeji produced the movie without seeking the consent of the affected families and parents of the unforgettable Aluu Four victims.
The question to Linda Ikeji is: Can you cry more than the bereaved or do you not have some conscience and humanity in you as a parent that you have become?”

He said the movie producer’s action is tantamount to saying that the victims had no families.

“This is to the effect that Linda Ikeji acted both of her own volition and on a frolic of her own as she failed, refused and neglected to seek the consent of the affected and families/parents of these boys whose names and the story of the Aluu 4 incident form the entire essence of the said movie,” Wechie said.

“It is important to state that the inexcusable and desperate action of Linda Ikeji on this blood-laced story in what is now christened globally as Aluu 4 or Uniport4 may falsely or arrogantly indicate that these innocent boys do not come from homes and this is not only illegal, it is both inhuman and un-African of one who should know better. For the umpteenth time, I have been instructed in writing through my organisation The Integrity Friends for Truth and Peace Initiative (TIFPI) by the four affected families, that is the parents of late Lloyd Toku-Mike, Chiadika Biringa, Ugonna Obuzor and Tekena Elkanah to represent them and ensure that justice is done in this matter.”

He urged the parties involved to put a stop to the scheduled premiere and try to reach out to the families of the four students who were killed.

“We, therefore, demand that Linda Ikeji and her business partners including Netflix, FilmOne Entertainment Company, etc should by this notice immediately retract and suspend any further actions including the premiering slated for February 3, 2023, and any other date pending and subject to consultations and express consent of the affected families who are at the receiving end of the entire assault,” he added.

By Yinka Akanbi