A new Nollywood thriller, “The Herd” directed by acclaimed filmmaker Daniel Etim Effiong, has sparked intense national conversation about ethnic profiling, insecurity, and the power of storytelling in Nigeria.
The film centers on a family ambushed by armed bandits during a rural festivity, shedding light on Nigeria’s deepening banditry crisis, which has seen over 1,000 abductions in the past year alone.
Starring popular actors Mercy Aigbe, Kunle Remi, and others, “The Herd” paints a vivid, emotionally charged picture of life in communities ravaged by violence. It portrays herders and a corrupt pastor as central figures in a criminal network a plotline based on real life experiences from Nigeria’s northwest and central regions, where insecurity has become a daily fear.
READ ALSO: He Has Cursed All of Them and It Will Come to Pass ; Charly Boy Reacts to Nnamdi Kanu’s Sentencing
While some viewers have applauded the film for boldly tackling issues of national trauma and family resilience, others have criticised it for allegedly stereotyping Fulani herders as bandits. The backlash, especially on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has led to heated discussions and even calls to ban the film, with critics arguing it could deepen ethnic tensions in a fragile sociopolitical climate.
Taking to the comment section on X, some viewers gave their reviews on the movie.
See comments here:
@BlazeRegent wrote: “Good movie but not 10/10…. Your rating is based on sentiment especially the recent happening and I understand that fact but when considering in indices that determines the ratings of a movie.. the movie will go for 7/10… Regardless, it’s a great movie, well choreographed except for the shooting scenes, the kidnapping camp scenes and the torture scene of the pastor and his two members… Those scenes aren’t so good but good attempts. Overall, the storyline is relatable to every nigeria and the acting is generally fantastic”.
@Fulani_Tutor wrote: ” Ban Netflix, ban the herd Delete Netflix in your phone. As a Muslim you have no business with this movie”.
@Kitay07 wrote: “I rate it 4.5/10 sha. Only because it captured the issue goes deep within the moral fabric of Nigeria. Cutting across ethnic nationalties, across generations, across social and political class”.
Another X User @DotunGade wrote: “One of the best Nigerian movies I’ve seen in a while. Worth every moment.”
