Iyabo Ojo Raises Alarm Over Alleged Piracy of New Movie in Ghana

Nollywood actress and filmmaker Iyabo Ojo has accused a Ghanaian television station of illegally broadcasting her latest movie less than 24 hours after its release.

The actress raised the alarm on Saturday, about 21 hours after premiering the final episode of her movie, The Memory of You, on Friday evening.

According to Iyabo Ojo, Ghanaian broadcaster NETV aired the film without obtaining her permission, securing a licence or making any payment.

Expressing her frustration in an Instagram post, the actress described the action as outright theft and urged the station to stop airing her work without authorisation.

“My movie The Memory of You Parts 1 and 2 is being aired on TV channels in Ghana without my permission. No call. No licence. No payment. Just pure theft,” she wrote.

She also appealed to Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, the National Film Authority and the country’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to enforce copyright laws by sanctioning television stations found guilty of broadcasting copyrighted content without approval.

Iyabo Ojo recalled that the Ghana National Film Authority had previously warned that television stations airing unauthorised films could face licence suspension or revocation, urging the agency to act on its warning.

“We filmmakers pour our lives, money and years into this craft. Piracy kills creativity, kills jobs and kills investment. We are not asking for favours. We are demanding what is rightfully ours: respect and protection for our intellectual property. Enough is enough,” she said.

Her outcry comes about a week after the Ghana National Film Authority announced plans to clamp down on television stations broadcasting Nigerian films without the necessary authorisation.