The National Film and Video Censors Board has made moves to block the release of a movie starring Nancy Isime over concerns regarding the use of hijab to portray a role that allegedly denigrated the Islamic religious sensibility. 

On Monday, Isime posted pictures from the set of an unnamed movie, in which she adorned the hijab, a long flowing dress that covers the head and sometimes face, often worn by Muslim women.

In Isime’s pictures, she held a gun as she struck a pose with other hijab-wearing actors who similarly had guns in their hands.

The picture, which showed a fictitious “Tristan Bank” signage, gave viewers the impression they were robbing a bank with two persons presumed to be hostages sitting on the floor.

The images have since sparked controversy on social media as some Muslims deemed the hijab-gun pose as disrespectful to Islam. They argued that the portrayal of a hijab gun-wielding thief runs counter to the virtues of the religion.

NFVCB said it was inundated with complaints regarding the upcoming movie and has since contacted the movie producers to “address the concerns raised.”

The Nigerian film regulator said the hijab is an outfit for Muslim women that symbolises “respect, modesty and religious devotion, with negative moral vices.”

“Our check revealed that the movie has not been released, and it has not been submitted to the NFVCB for classification as required by law and our mandate,” a statement by the film regulator said on Thursday.

The board warned movie producers and skitmakers to desist from releasing movies and skits that might abuse or negatively portray the hijab.

“We restate that as a classification agency, the NFVCB will not overlook any film or video works, including dramatised short contents (skits) that abuse, denigrate, or undermine religious, cultural and ethnic sensibilities.”