The Artists Village which is annexed to the National Arts Theatre witnessed a total destruction as it was reduced to ashes in the early hours of Saturday, January 23, 2016.
The space, which can be readily considered as the only space that still brews creativity and activity within the entire structure of the National Arts Theatre whose glory is dwindling by the day has been demolished under the order of the director general of the National Arts Theatre Kabiru Yusuf.
Naij.com sources said that the DG in company of fully armed policemen came to the artists’ village with bulldozers as early as 7 am on Saturday, January 23 and started demolishing workshops and structures that housed veteran actors, painters, sculptors, drums etc without any prior notice of demolition.
The ugly incident has rendered a lot of the artistes mentally homeless and destroyed their priceless intellectual properties.
Some artists protested the destruction of their source of livelihood and life savings and in the ensuing milieu an artist was shot by the police on his leg twice.
See more photos below:
Meanwhile, on December 25, 2015, suspected hoodlums sparked chaos at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, after several spectators lost their valuables. According to witnesses, the theatre became engulfed in panic after people ran in different directions following the activities of the offenders.
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