“I’m a street girl,” Nollywood actress confronts thugs who invaded her movie set to demand money

Nollywood actress, Bimbo Ademoye on Thursday stood her ground after a group of area boys disrupted an outdoor film shoot and demanded money from her production crew.

A video of the incident, shared on X by user #Usmanashafe, went viral on Thursday and sparked widespread reactions, highlighting ongoing concerns about extortion on Nollywood film locations.

In the footage, the actress is seen engaging the men, who demanded a “settlement”, a common form of extortion often targeted at film crews shooting in public spaces.

Ademoye, speaking in English and Pidgin, made it clear she would not bow to pressure while stating she had no issue supporting people around her set under normal circumstances.

“I am a street girl, let me tell you. Ask around, when it comes to matters of the street, I like settling boys. But you don’t come to me and tell me to give you a certain amount,” she said.

When one of the men insisted he was not begging, she responded firmly, “Yes, you came to beg. You are even being proud of it,” she said.

Tension rose when a member of the group threatened to switch off her camera, to which she replied: “Camera that nobody in your generation has.”

The men, estimated to be between three and five, did not physically escalate the situation, though their demands disrupted the ongoing shoot. No weapons were seen in the video.

The incident drew praise online, with many commending Ademoye for her composure and refusal to be intimidated.

Commenting on the trend, #Usmanashafe noted that repeated harassment of film crews has pushed many Nollywood producers to favour indoor locations.

“That’s why a lot of producers these days prefer to make their movie production an indoor set. No producer wants to put the lives of their cast and crew in the danger of these thugs,” the user wrote.

Extortion of film crews remains a recurring challenge in Lagos, often forcing producers to pay unofficial fees or risk disruption of their projects.

The practice has contributed to a growing shift toward secured indoor and gated locations, which some industry observers say limits the creative range of Nigerian films.