Fewchore Studios has denied unlawfully remaking the classic Yoruba film Ogbori Elemoso without permission from Nollywood veteran Olalere Osunpaimo, also known as Lere Paimo.
The production company said the new project is an original historical film based on independent research and developed with permission from traditional authorities in Ogbomosoland.
“No individual can lawfully claim exclusive ownership over the history of a town or its founding monarch,” the studio said. “We have not remade or reproduced any film, script, or creative work by Chief Olalere Osunpaimo, nor used any of his proprietary materials. The project is an original historical film developed from independent research.”
On finances, the firm said Paimo initially requested a sum that was negotiated. “A separate meeting later held at his residence resulted in his request for N30 million, following which Fewchore Studios offered N15 million strictly as a goodwill gift in recognition of his past contributions and interest in the project,” the company said. “This was accepted, formally documented in signed minutes confirming it was a gift and not payment for rights or history, with N7.5 million paid as an initial instalment in the presence of witnesses.”
Fewchore added that Paimo later withdrew from the project and refunded the N7.5 million. “Subsequently, following correspondence from Chief Osunpaimo’s legal representatives, alleging copyright infringement and demanding discontinuance, Chief Olalere Osunpaimo withdrew from the agreed‑upon production dates and refunded the N7.5 million that had been received earlier,” the studio said.
Lere had accused the studio and the current Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, of attempting a remake without his consent. “They told me they did not need my permission to remake Ogbori Elemoso and that they only wanted to give me a ‘gift’,” he said.
He added that the N7.5 million later paid into his account was “robbery and manipulation” according to his children. “Acting on their advice, I immediately returned the money,” he said.
