Tito Harrison, a veteran Yoruba actor, has disclosed a dramatic incident that occurred during his early career and involved a run-in with the Nigerian military regime that was led by General Sani Abacha.
Within the context of an interview that took place on the Talk to B Podcast hosted by Biola Adebayo, Harrison related the story of how he and the entertainer Charly Boy narrowly avoided being arrested following a controversial prank that they played on their show, Candid Camera.
Harrison explained that in the beginning of his career in the media, he was involved with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and he participated in shows such as Tales by Moonlight.
Candid Camera was a program that featured hidden camera pranks, which are generally referred to as “skits” today. His participation in the program eventually led to him getting into a lot of trouble.
Although the two individuals were unaware of it, one of the people who fell victim to their prank was an expatriate who was believed to be Chinese and was visiting General Abacha at the time. Taking offence at the joke, the individual took the matter to the highest level of government, which is the presidency.
The regime then delivered a swift and serious response to the situation that had arisen. According to Harrison, the military leader took the matter personally and intended to have them arrested and detained throughout the process.
On the other hand, Charly Boy’s family connection turned out to be pivotal. It was during this time that his father, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, was serving as the Chief Justice of Nigeria. According to reports, Abacha made direct contact with Justice Oputa and demanded that the show be cancelled.
After hearing that warning, Harrison and Charly Boy were left with no other option but to terminate their Candid Camera account. In the end, they shifted their focus to other projects, the most notable of which was The Charly Boy Show, which achieved a significant amount of success.
According to his words, “I was given a temporary engagement with Charly Boy, and the two of us collaborated on the film Candid Camera. These days, people refer to it as “skits,” but back in the day, it was known as Candid Camera camera. We pulled a prank on a foreigner. In my opinion, he was of Chinese descent and had travelled to see Abacha. It was the prank that caused him to become offended, and he reported us to the presidency. It was Abacha who would have ordered our arrest and detention, but Charly Boy’s father, who was serving as the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the time, stepped in to prevent this from happening.”
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