Actor Taye Arimoro Alleges Assault On Movie Set, Peggy Ovire Denies Claim

 

This on-set clash rekindles Nollywood’s ongoing debate on abuse, power, and professional conduct

Another day, another on-set meltdown. This time, the storm brewing within Nollywood’s production ecosystem involves actor Taye Arimoro and actress-producer Peggy Ovire, whose confrontation on a film set recently devolved into

physical violence, viral videos, and divided public opinion.

What started as a scheduling disagreement reportedly spiralled into chaos, exposing once again the industry’s fragile power dynamics, poor conflict management structures, and unsafe working conditions that too often go unchecked behind the camera.

According to Arimoro, the entire ordeal began when he attempted to leave the set after his contracted hours had elapsed, a routine move that should have ended quietly. Instead, he was blocked from exiting by Peggy Ovire’s team, assaulted in the process, and left with visible injuries to his gums and lips.

The actor went live on Instagram mid-chaos, narrating what he described as a case of unlawful restraint and assault, his voice shaking with disbelief.

“I said I want to go home, but they don’t want me to,” he said in the livestream. “You’re holding me against my will, and it isn’t cool. Why would you block me? I can’t go to my house again?”

He later alleged that his car tyres were deflated to prevent him from leaving and that he had sustained dental damage. “My lower front tooth is damaged,” he told viewers, adding that he had already contacted his lawyer.

Peggy Ovire’s side of the story

Peggy, however, told a very different story, one where she was the peacemaker, not the aggressor.

In a lengthy Instagram statement, the actress claimed Arimoro became violent first, after being asked to complete just two short scenes needed to wrap up filming for the night.

“Taye, you beat up two crew members simply because you felt they had no voice, no social media presence, no one to speak for them,” she wrote. “They were only begging you to please complete two short scenes so we could wrap up.”

She alleged that the actor punched the production manager three times, attacked another crew member, and only went live after the scuffle, conveniently leaving out, she said, “the part where the violence began.”

Ovire added that Arimoro had arrived on set around noon and that they were already filming into the night. “Everything was fine until you got upset when I asked that we shoot one quick scene before your BTS video,” she claimed, further alleging that her driver sustained an ear injury during the chaos.

A divided internet and a viral CCTV clip

Social media erupted in the aftermath. Fans of both actors flooded timelines with hot takes, moral lectures, and grainy replays from CCTV footage that later surfaced, showing fragments of the altercation. 

While the video didn’t provide a full picture, it was enough to ignite another wave of outrage with many users accusing Ovire of mishandling the situation.

Evidenced in the video is Peggy Ovire, along with her crew members, repeatedly obstructing Taye and putting her hands on him at intervals while preventing him from leaving. 

The reactions revealed a deeper exhaustion. Nollywood’s audience is growing tired of seeing violence, both scripted and unscripted, dominate behind-the-scenes stories.

A recurring pattern

This latest clash adds to a troubling list of recent on-set violence and power abuse cases that have plagued Nollywood this year.

Just weeks ago, the Nigeria Film Crew Community (NFCC) issued a statement condemning the assault of a crew member by a production manager on the set of Lagos to Opulence. The viral video showed the manager allegedly strangling the head of makeup, leading to his arrest.

Before that, actor Femi Branch made headlines after allegedly slapping an Assistant Director on set, an incident that reignited conversations about ego, hierarchy, and accountability within the industry.

Each episode seems to follow a disturbingly familiar script: a disagreement turns violent, a live video surfaces, and public sympathy oscillates between the accused and accuser while the structural issues stay unaddressed.

The bigger question: Who protects film workers?

The Arimoro–Ovire altercation may have made headlines because of their celebrity status, but industry insiders say such incidents are far from rare.

Crew members, production assistants, and even extras often recount stories of long hours, poor welfare, verbal abuse, and physical intimidation, most of which never make it to the press.

In the absence of a strong union or enforceable code of conduct, film sets in Nigeria often operate like micro-kingdoms: whoever holds the most power, be it producer, actor, or director, controls the tone of the environment.

The NFCC’s recent call for reform emphasised this imbalance clearly:

“A good production manager protects his team, not harms them. Violence has no place in our industry. Respect is not negotiable.”

The way forward

The question now is whether Nollywood will treat this as another viral spectacle or as a case study in systemic dysfunction.

This isn’t merely about who struck first or who posted what on Instagram; it’s about the culture of chaos and impunity that makes such incidents possible in the first place.

Accountability must go beyond apology videos and hashtags. It must include transparent investigation processes, clear on-set safety policies, and industry sanctions that discourage violence from becoming normalised.

Because at the end of the day, film sets are workplaces, and no actor, regardless of status, should be physically harmed or held against their will. 

Likewise, no crew member should be assaulted, disrespected, or silenced under the excuse of creative tension.

Credit: Pulseng