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Twenty-five years after its first original release, Nollywood blockbuster, Issakaba has staged a comeback to cinema.
An acronym for Bakassi, Issakaba retuns to cinema nationwide on November 13 after its first production in 2001, with Sam Dede, now a Theatre Arts lecturer at University of Port Harcourt, reprising his role as Ebube.
Aside from Dede, however, Lancelot Imasuen also came back as the director of the film.
Speaking at the exclusive media screening of the movie in Lagos last Saturday, Imasuen said that 25 years after directing Issakaba, he found himself returning to a story that has refused to disappear.
“When Issakaba was released in 2001, Nigeria was already grappling with serious concern about violent crime, communal insecurity and the ability of conventional security structures to respond effectively to the realities faced by ordinary people.
“The film was inspired, in part, by real events surrounding the Bakassi Boys and the confrontation with criminals and the alleged activities of the notorious Eddy Nawgu in Anambra State. But Issakaba was never intended to be merely an action film. It was a reflection of a society under pressure.
“It was a story about communities confronted with fear, violence and the instinct to protect themselves when they believed the structures responsible for their security were not doing enough.
“At the heart of the story was a question that remains profoundly relevant today. Can a people truly be secure if the people themselves are excluded from the conversation about their security? Twenty-five years later, that question has not disappeared. In fact, it has become even more urgent,” he explained.
The film director added, “That’s why the 25th anniversary of Issakaba is not simply an anniversary of a Nollywood classic. It is an opportunity for us to look at ourselves. A quarter of a century is a long time in the life of a nation. Nigeria has changed politically, economically, technologically and culturally since 2001. Nollywood itself has transformed dramatically.
“But if a story made 25 years ago can still speak directly to the anxieties of Nigerians today, then perhaps the real story is not about the film. Perhaps the real story is about us. The original Issakaba asked what happens when ordinary people decide they can no longer remain helpless in the face of insecurity. Today, Nigeria must ask a broader question: After 25 years, what have we learnt about keeping our people safe?”
Distributed by Blue Pictures, Issakaba: The Return brings together veterans and younger generation of Nollywood talent including Sam Dede, Francis Onwuche, Iyabo Ojo, Chidi Mokeme, Regina Daniels, Sani Danja, Alex Osifo, Nosa Rex, Charles Okafor, Phyna Otabor, Itele, and Kashimawo, who played the Issakaba seer.
According to Imasuen, the combination of both the old and new actors is deliberate. “The old generation carries the memory of the story, while the new generation carries the responsibility of interpreting what that story means today. And that, for me, is one of the most exciting things about the project, because cinema has the ability to preserve memories while simultaneously questioning the present,” he said
Inspired by true-life events, Issakaba revolves around the Bakassi Boys, a community vigilante group combating crimes like murder and armed robbery that drive fear into the hearts of the people.
It also centres on the war against Eddy Nawgu, a sorcerer who terrorised the people of Nawgu community in Anambra State.
Since the armed robbers possess some mystical powers in their robbery activities, Issakaba Boys, led by Ebube (Sam Dede), also have to acquire same traditional powers to be able to fight and conquer the evil men.
