‎By Teddy Nwanunobi

‎Nollywood actor, Ibrahim Chatta, has blamed the decline in epic productions to the rising insecurity in Nigeria, saying that the ugly situation has forced him to stop expanding his horse stable after years of supplying animals to Nollywood films.

‎Chatta, who said that fears of banditry and kidnappings have discouraged filmmakers from shooting historical productions that rely heavily on horses, spoke in a video posted on his Facebook page on Thursday.

‎Daily NewsCraft reports that Chatta has provided horses, camels, and donkeys for films, including: ‘Jagun Jagun’, ‘House of Gaa’, ‘Iyalode’, and ‘Labake Olododo’.

‎The 55-year-old said he no longer buys horses because many producers have become reluctant to shoot epic movies.

‎“I’ve lost 49 horses, and I currently have about 27, my lowest number since I started operating the film village. I used to buy my horses from the north, from communities along the border with the Niger Republic. The lowest number I bought at once was 10; I used to buy 15 at a time, but now that my colleagues are scared of bandits and kidnappers because of what’s happening in Oyo State, they no longer come to shoot epic films.

‎“So, I wasn’t motivated to buy more horses. I used to buy horses before and after Eid al-Kabir, when my staff went home for the festival. Still, I didn’t buy any this year because there’s no money. And those who used to rent horses no longer shoot movies because they’re scared of being kidnapped while shooting in the forest. I now buy cows instead,” he said.

Chatta, who maintained that insecurity in the country had forced him to start investing in cattle, also lamented the sharp rise in feed prices for his horses, donkeys, and camels.

‎“To look after the horses properly, veterinary doctors were brought to the set to treat them, provide food, and so on. When I started my village, I was buying a bag of their feed for N3,200, and now it’s N22,000.

‎“If you don’t ration it, one horse will finish a bag in a day. In December last year, I witnessed my cows die en masse; that’s the first time I’ve witnessed such,” said the actor.

‎He added that when he had many horses due to the high demand, he used to separate the males from the females.

‎“When they’re together, they fight and wound each other, and they can die from small wounds. I’ve now stopped my female horses from giving birth, because once they do, they become weak,” he added.