The alleged threat to arrest Adam A. Zango, a renowned Hausa movie star by the Kano state Censorship Board has continued to generate reactions among Kannywood practitioners.
Kano state censorship board was said to have threatened to arrest the Kaduna based actor over the weekend because he refused to register with the board.
It could be recalled that Adam Zango, who had announced his decision to quit the industry, was threatened with arrest when he was featured in a short promotional video clip posted by Rahama Sadau on instagram ahead of the public screening of the film Mati a Zazzau at the Ado Bayero Mall in Kano.
Adam Zango decided to stay away from the premiere of the film in Kano state as a result of the threat.
The plan to nab Zango started as a mere speculation on the social media until it was subsequently confirmed by the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Censorship Board, Malam Ismail Na’abba Afakallah.
Afakallah said anyone that is willing to respect the people of Kano must obey its laws, stressing that “Adamu doesn’t want to follow our rules and regulations.”
In his reaction, Kannywood movie producer and director, Falalu Dorayi asked the censorship board to ensure uniformity in the enforcement of the state law, urging it not to hide under the law to attack people perceived to be political enemies.
Dorayi said membership to the industry is not mandatory, adding that artistes are at liberty to quit at will especially when they feel dissatisfied with the industry.
He explained that there is no justification for the threat to arrest Adam Zango who is only visiting the state to watch a film.
He said Zango is only being victimized for political reasons.
His words, “If the board can duly certify the film for screening on cinema even though there were unregistered actors in the film, there is no justification stopping any artiste from interacting with his fans. If there is any justification it should start at the point of censoring the film. Maybe, they should deny the certificate on grounds that so and so actors are not registered with us.
“I know many unlicensed artistes and musicians who always go to the cinema to watch films they are featured, nobody has ever threatened to arrest them, why is it different with Adam Zango?” he asked.
He added that though Zango had announced his exit from Kannywood, but that does not mean that he has stopped relating with Kano and the people of Kano for other businesses.
