Omoni Oboli in script plagiarism scandal

A recent controversy involving Nollywood actress and filmmaker Omoni Oboli has ignited discussions on originality and intellectual property within the Nigerian film industry.

Oboli took to Instagram to apologise and clarify the circumstances surrounding her latest YouTube film, which was removed from her channel following accusations of striking similarities to another YouTube movie titled “Hope Given.”

In her public statement, Oboli expressed regret over the incident and emphasized her commitment to originality.

She explained that the issue arose from a script she had purchased from a screenwriter, which was later discovered to have already been sold to another producer in 2022.

This breach of trust has raised questions about the ethical and legal challenges faced by producers, YouTube content creators, and screenwriters in Nollywood.

Oboli’s Instagram post stated, “We know you’re probably wondering why the latest movie isn’t available anymore on the channel. We’ve received feedback that it bears a striking resemblance to another film on YouTube. As a channel committed to originality, we’ve decided to remove the movie while we investigate the situation. We’ve engaged the scriptwriter to understand exactly what happened and are working closely with our legal team to resolve this. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. Always remember that I love you.”

Her decision to remove the film was praised by many as an act of integrity and professionalism.

In response to Oboli’s statement, Susan Jimah, the producer of “Hope Given” and owner of Susan Jimah TV, confirmed in the comments section that she purchased the script in question from screenwriter Jayne Nwachukwu in 2022 for 70,000 naira.

“Good day, Ma’am @omonioboli. The said script was sold to @Susanjimah in 2022 by @jayne_Nwanchukwu. It has long been aired on Susan Jimah TV for over a year now under the title ‘Hope Given.’ It has also come to our attention that the same script has been given to another YouTube channel again with a totally different title, which was uploaded just yesterday. Jayne Nwachukwu hasn’t been reachable since yesterday. We applaud you for standing up for integrity,” she clarified.