Movie review: How Acholo proffers solution to killings, kidnapping

Ojochide was a teenager who was kidnapped while returning home from religious activity. Her corpse, with essential body parts dismembered, was found in the forest a few days after a fruitless search by vigilante group led by Commander Ekele (Ibrahim Nuhu).

This story resonates with Nigerians and rising Nigerian movie producer and actor, Thompson Makolo Jnr explored this significantly in passing across a message to the traditional and religious leaders in his latest work, Acholo.

Acholo is another move by Makolo Jnr to champion the cause of the Igala people in the face of eroding western culture. Makolo, who in the past portrayed a story of bravery in Ona by the rivers of Lokoja delivered another blockbuster in Igala language.

Acholo tells a story of kidnapping, killing, and the apparent silence of traditional and religious institutions. It went a step further by preferring a solution to this societal menace with the use of a forgotten indigenous approach.  The solution lies in the about one hour, twenty minutes movie which held the audience spellbound during its media and elite premiere in Abuja.

The adaptation of cultural approaches to solving kidnappings and killings ensured the audience left the cinema with more questions than answers as regards the efforts of the traditional institutions in guaranteeing peace and harmony in their communities.

The story follows the disappearance and eventual killing of Ojochide which led to the return of Idoko Amade (Thompson Makolo Jnr), who was a terror in the community before he left for the city. His return was with revenge and vengeance as the hurt man hunts for the heads of those responsible for the death of his sister.

The action-packed movie shows a rampant occurrence in the country. It tells a story of societal ills and the lapses of traditional as well as religious leaders in addressing this issue with an easy yet elegant story line.

The media and the elite premiere of the Igala movie was held in a capacity-filled cinema led by the Ejeh Olamaboro, Chief Simon Ujah.

Acholo was not the first indigenous movie to address killings and kidnappings in the country but the ingenuity of the producer, Thompson Makolo Jnr came to bear in its adoption of traditional and cultural approaches. It tells a long-standing issue in a new way that captivated the audience till the last minute. It was delivered in the Igala language but non-Igala speakers need not worry as the subtitle was top-notched but for a few typographical errors. Also, there are some continuity concerns as Idoko was grieving the loss of his sister that he remained on a while shirt and khaki trouser until his transformation to the ‘messiah’ of the people.

The film, set in Idah in Kogi State featured more than 50 per cent upcoming artists with cast and crew are drawn from Jos, Delta and Kogi state.

The movie directed by Iyua Alaha made good use of flashback while the effects were moderately applied. It is one movie that will appeal to Nigerians beyond the Igala sociocultural group.