Prolific Nigerian entertainment and sports journalist, Seyi Alao might have used as the location for Daniel Etim-Effiong movie, The Herd.
Several persons had questioned the choice of Ekiti State rather than northern state where kidnappings and killings are rampant but the journalist narrated his harrowing experience in the hands of dreaded Islamic Fulani terrorists.
Released in cinemas on 17 October and now streaming on Netflix, the film forces Nigerians to confront a truth many would rather avoid. Its depiction of kidnapping the forests, the fear, the randomness of violence- mirrors the same tragedies dominating headlines today, turning what once felt like entertainment into a chilling reflection of the nation’s present.
Featuring casts like Daniel Etim Effiong, Deyemi Okanlawon, Genoveva Umeh, Kunle Remi, Mercy Aigbe, Tina Mba, Lateef Adedimeji, and Nobert Young, ‘The Herd’ grounds its story in familiar faces while giving room for lesser-known talents to shine through with startling realism.
Alao in a Facebook post commended the producer for his insight.
He said: “I’m not sure why Ekiti State was chosen as the setting for this movie, but the producers clearly did their research — and they got it absolutely right.
On December 22, 2015, I was travelling from Ado-Ekiti to Lagos. Just a few minutes after we passed Fajuyi Park, we suddenly saw cows blocking the road and people lying helplessly on the ground. Our driver slowed down, thinking there might have been an accident. That was when Fulani herdsmen ran from the bushes to attack us.
They shot a passenger on our bus and robbed everyone before fleeing back into the forest.
For the first time, I feared for my life.”
