By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – IT was a gathering of major players in the movie industry as they gathered in Benin City, Edo State to hold a script conference on their current that is trying to change the narrative on the negative perception about the Nigerian Police despite the sacrifices they make to keep the people safe.

Speaking at the script conference of the movie, Beyond Duty, the Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Portal CEO, Dickson Osaze, said the idea behind the script conference was to bring together top actors and producers with the aim of producing an educational and entertaining film for the police.

“We have many producers and actors like Zack Orji and Ngozi Ezeonu coming together to produce a film for the Nigeria Police which is educating as well as entertaining.

“We do a story for the Nigerian Police every year looking at the institution from a positive side. If the police should go on strike for two hours, our security is no longer guaranteed.

“We make these films to highlight the importance of the police. We have done the Greatest Oath and the Rescue. This year we are doing Beyond Duty and we did the script conference to see how well we can bring the film to Nigerians.

Speaking on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Spokesperson of the Edo Police Command, Eno Ikoedem called for more collaboration between the police and film makers in Nigeria.

She said that the movie would be a source of encouragement to hard working officers who man various posts in the country to provide security.

According to her, “The movie will be encouraging for our officers who are really selfless especially the men who are on the roads and operations.

“Operatives do a lot of work and I think that their efforts are underated. So, I feel a movie like this means a lot to us as it boosts morale and encourages us to do more.”

Renowned actor and director, Zack Orji said the collaboration between the police and the film industry dates back several years, commending Ocean Portal for the deliberate effort it is making to work with the police.

He added, “The deliberate effort made by Ocean Portal to collaborate with the Nigerian Police to tell their stories is commendable and I will urge them to keep it up.

“The history of film makers and the Police collaboration dates back to years ago and this time Ocean Portal is deliberately going out of their way to work with the Nigerian Police.

“The issue of film is about people, circumstances in society and our lifestyle. If we have to tell stories, we need to tell relatable stories that will impact the people in a positive way and make them to be responsible members of the society. I am happy Ocean Portal invited some of us to be part of this.

Screen writer, Jovial Onyinyechi-James said the film has themes of patriotism, governance and many others. She said the film exposes people’s minds to things like community policing, the need to support security agencies in the country and to unite in tackling crimes in our society.