Nigerian cinematographer Jude Eze has reacted sharply to Regina Daniels’ public plea for help following the arrest of her brother. The Nollywood actress and her family recently launched an online petition, urging Nigerians to sign and support efforts to secure her brother’s release. Reports allege that the arrest is connected to Regina’s estranged husband, Ned Nwoko.
However, Eze’s reaction to the plea has reignited public memory of the 2020 #EndSARS protests against police brutality in Nigeria. Taking to social media, the cinematographer reminded his followers that during the protests, Regina Daniels reportedly dismissed the movement and mocked young Nigerians who risked their lives for justice.
Eze shared a screenshot of Regina’s now-viral October 20, 2020 post — a day remembered for the tragic Lekki Toll Gate shootings — describing her comments at the time as insensitive and disconnected from the struggles of everyday Nigerians.
In his post, Jude Eze wrote:
“One thing I like about the dysfunction of Nigeria is that it doesn’t discriminate.
It comes for everybody eventually, one way or the other, no matter who you are.
October 2020, when we were protesting against police brutality and bad governance, Regina Daniels set up her tripod, camera, and ring light not to lend her voice to the struggle of young Nigerians like herself simply demanding our basic human rights, but to reprimand us for protesting like we were children.
She even mocked us. Because she couldn’t relate to our struggles, because she felt she was part of the elites, because she thought the problems of ordinary peasants will never be her problem; because she was literally in bed with the opps (pun intended).
Today the same Regina is on the internet crying for help from the same Nigerians she mocked for the same police brutality we were protesting against.
Today the dysfunction of the Nigerian system has caught up with her and she finally feels what we feel. But who will protest with her now?
Poetic justice innit?”
Eze’s remarks have since sparked intense reactions online, with some Nigerians agreeing, while others defended Regina, saying people can change and learn from past mistakes.
The controversy continues to fuel discussions on celebrity empathy, social responsibility, and the long-standing issue of police brutality in Nigeria.
