'I Lost 49 Horses' — Ibrahim Chatta Clears The Air On Film Village Losses

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Actor and filmmaker Ibrahim Chatta has addressed the growing confusion surrounding the number of horses he lost at his film village, saying he felt compelled to speak despite not feeling well.

In a lengthy statement, Chatta explained that different claims had been circulating about the incident, with many people questioning whether he even owned dozens of horses in the first place. According to him, some doubted he could have had as many as 48 horses, while others argued that acquiring such a number would have been financially impossible.

Wanting to put the matter to rest, the actor said the information being shared was inaccurate. He stressed that the loss was even greater than many people believed, revealing that a total of 49 horses had died, not 48.

Reflecting on the history of his film village, Chatta said the horses had been an important part of many successful epic movie productions over the years. He explained that before the losses, the village housed a much larger number of horses, which were regularly hired for film projects requiring horseback scenes.

The actor noted that several well-known epic productions, including Ageshinkole, Jagun Jagun and Bashorun Gaa, relied on horses from his film village during production. He added that following the deaths, only 26 horses remain in his care.

Chatta also explained why he has not replenished the number of horses despite the huge loss. According to him, business at the film village has slowed considerably because many filmmakers and actors have become reluctant to shoot in remote locations.

He linked the decline to the security concerns that followed the abduction of pupils and teachers at Orire School, saying the incident discouraged many productions from using bush locations where epic movies are commonly filmed. As a result, he decided against investing in more horses for now since demand has reduced.

Although the clarification came while he was dealing with health challenges, Chatta said he believed it was necessary to correct the record and provide accurate information about what had happened at his film village.

He stated:

"So l have seen lots of narratives and arguments on social media regarding the horses in my film village, though l am not feeling well presently but l need to speak regarding the actual Nos of horses that have d!ed for record sake. Lots of people have been saying is not possible for me to have 48 horses in my film village and some even said where would l get such money to purchase 48 horses let alone me losing them. For clarification sake, is not 48 horses that have d!ed In my Film village. Its 49 horses all together, l used to have so many horses before, all those epic movies you watch like Ageshinkole, Jagun Jagun, Bashonrun Gaa and so many other Epic movies, it was my horses they used during the production of those movies. And presently l have just 26 horses left, and l deliberately didn't want to get more horses because our people are not coming to the village to shoot movies due to what happened at Orire School where children and their teachers were abducted. Lots of Actors are scared of shooting in the Bush now, that was why l didn't buy more horses."

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