Popular Nigerian Actor, HanksAnuku, Allegedly Arrested

Popular Nigerian Nollywood Actor, Hanks
Anuku, has been reportedly arrested alongside
other members of a movie crew.
Hanks Anuku
According to Daily Graphic, the actor who was
part of a movie crew of 11 was allegedly
arrested for causing panic during the shooting
of a television series on Spintex Road in Accra.

Other members of the crew that were arrested
are George Adu Badoo, Joseph Heisk, Ivy
Bentum, Adjetey Roberts, Eluheaka Mensah,
Arhin Wakila, Mary Acheampong, Emmanuel
Anumaka, Charles Roger Beckly and Sherrif
Sandy Brown.

The movie crew was said to have fired
gunshots indiscriminately about 3 a.m.
yesterday, causing residents of the area to
think it was an armed robbery attack. Road
users were said to have put a called through
to the Police Control Room through the
emergency numbers.
Briefing journalists yesterday, the Accra
Regional Police Commander, Deputy
Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Christian
Tetteh Yohuno, said:
“Most motorists who were using that stretch
of road, upon hearing the loud command of
“Stop! Stop! Stop!”, sensed danger and quickly
reversed, causing a lot of chaos on the Spintex
Road. “A patrol team was quickly dispatched
to the scene, only to ascertain that the
supposed gang was a crew of a movie
production company known as Rabell
Entertainment ,” he said.

The movie crew who were acting a robbery
scene were accosted by the police. The DCOP
said that the police found that the crew
members were using a shotgun, fire crackers,
two rubber-made pistols and toy machine guns
to shoot a movie without any lawful permit; An
offence that is punishable.

“More importantly, if care was not taken by
the police, there could have been exchange of
fire which could have led to the death of many
because what the police witnessed on arrival
portrayed a robbery operation,” he said.
Although the police were not against film-
making because of the enormous role the
industry played in society, he however pointed
out that causing panic and using fire crackers
without the proper permission of the police are
offences punishable under the law. He further
explained saying if such activities were not
discouraged, any group of persons under the
same modus operandi could pretend to be
acting a movie but would end up committing
robbery.
However, in a later interview, one of the
directors of Rabell Entertainment, Billy Jane,
admitted that the crew had not obtained
permit for staging the violent scene which was
part of a three-year television series titled:
“Late Night Scenes”, which was scheduled to
run on a number of television stations in
Ghana soon.
She said that the crew was going home after
shooting some scenes in a club when they
decided to stage one of the scenes on the
street. She said the company had always
sought the assistance of the police any time it
shot a movie which required permit or
protection from the law enforcement
agencies. “We are sorry. It was an oversight. I
am sure it will not happen again,” she pleaded.

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