Nollywood powerhouse Lancelot Imasuen is the latest filmmaker to face accusations of sexual assault.
The allegation comes from actress Sylvia Oluchi who called the director out in a group chat called ‘Filmic.’
Oluchi says Imasuen soft-pedaled the issue of sexual assault in the industry and went on to reveal how he allegedly groped her in 2008 during a movie shoot.
She wrote:
When we were filming Bent Arrows back in 2008 in Abuja. You told be to come to your room in the hotel after shoot at night (we were all camped in the same hotel). You made some moves, when I refused, you physically pinned me to the bed and shoved your tongue down my mouth while squeezing my b**bs.”
See screenshot of the chat below:
Oluchi said that it was her crying that made Imasuen change his mind.
While speaking with Pulse via phone call, the thespian said that her encounter with the filmmaker was not an isolated incident as other young actresses have also been harassed by Imasuen.
The news outlet reached out to Imasuen regarding Oluchi’s claims and while neither confirming nor denying the allegations, he insisted he couldn’t speak at the moment as key players in the industry have weighed in on the ‘private matter.’
His words:
It is still a private matter so I am not in a position to make a statement. The group chat where the accusation was made is a private one and the group’s admins have set up a committee to investigate the allegation. So, while I am surprised as anybody else – it is from 13 years ago, I have been advised to be quiet. It is an industry thing for now and cannot be made public.“
