Issakaba: The Return brings Lancelot Imasuen‘s iconic Nollywood action story back to cinemas 25 years after the original film, with Sam Dede reprising his role as Ebube and a new generation of actors joining the franchise. Scheduled for nationwide release on November 13, 2026, the sequel revisits a story about crime, community security and justice that the filmmaker believes remains relevant to Nigeria today.
Why Lancelot Imasuen Brought Back Issakaba
For Lancelot Imasuen, returning to Issakaba is about more than revisiting one of his most recognisable films. It is an opportunity to examine how much Nigeria has changed since the original production arrived in 2001 and why some of the issues behind its story remain unresolved.
At the film’s media screening in Lagos, Imasuen reflected on the circumstances surrounding the original production and the security concerns that informed its story.
“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,” Imasuen said.
The original Issakaba drew inspiration from real events associated with the Bakassi Boys, a vigilante group that emerged in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1990s amid growing concerns about armed robbery and other crimes.
The film combined that real-world backdrop with action, traditional mysticism and fictionalised confrontations between the vigilantes and criminal elements. Its portrayal of communities seeking protection helped establish its identity within an earlier era of Nollywood filmmaking.
Imasuen’s reflections provide the context for the sequel. Rather than relying entirely on nostalgia, the new production revisits the questions that made the original story resonate with audiences.
Issakaba’s 25th Anniversary Raises New Questions
For Imasuen, the anniversary is also an opportunity to reflect on the changes Nigeria and Nollywood have experienced since 2001.
The country has undergone significant political, economic, technological and cultural changes over the past quarter of a century. Nollywood has also evolved, moving from the home-video era that helped establish films such as Issakaba into a more diverse industry with changing production standards, distribution channels and audience expectations.
Yet the director believes the original film’s central concerns remain relevant.
The filmmaker 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?”
His remarks give the anniversary a broader significance. The sequel arrives at a time when insecurity remains an important public concern, making the original film’s themes relevant to contemporary discussions about community safety and the responsibilities of security institutions.
The film’s fictionalised portrayal of vigilante action should not be mistaken for a practical solution to insecurity. However, the questions surrounding public safety, accountability and the relationship between communities and security authorities remain important parts of the story’s legacy.
Sam Dede Returns as Ebube in Issakaba: The Return
One of the sequel’s biggest attractions is the return of Sam Dede as Ebube, the character closely associated with the original franchise.
Dede’s return gives the new production a direct connection to the film that introduced audiences to the Issakaba Boys. His character remains central to the story, which follows the group’s confrontation with criminal threats.
The announced cast also includes established Nollywood performers and younger entertainment personalities, among them Chidi Mokeme, Iyabo Ojo, Regina Daniels, Alex Osifo, Charles Okafor, Nosa Rex, Sani Danja, Phyna Otabor and Mark Angel.
Their involvement brings together actors from different generations of Nigerian entertainment, potentially introducing the franchise to viewers who did not grow up watching the original film.
Imasuen explained that this combination was deliberate, pointing to the role both generations play in carrying the story forward.
Imasuen said the combination of established and younger actors was 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.
The casting approach connects the sequel to its past while allowing younger performers to contribute to a story being revisited for a different generation of cinema audiences.
For longtime fans, Sam Dede’s return provides a familiar face. For newer viewers, the expanded cast offers another entry point into a franchise that became part of Nollywood’s action-film history.
Issakaba Returns to Cinemas on November 13
Issakaba: The Return is scheduled to arrive in cinemas nationwide on November 13, 2026, marking 25 years since the original film was released.
With Imasuen returning as director and Dede reprising his role as Ebube, the sequel reconnects the franchise with two figures closely associated with its beginnings.
Its combination of returning actors, younger performers and a story rooted in Nigeria’s security concerns gives the production an opportunity to appeal to different generations of viewers.
For audiences who remember the original, the sequel offers a return to a familiar story. For younger viewers, it provides an opportunity to encounter a film franchise whose themes helped distinguish an earlier era of Nigerian home-video cinema.
Ultimately, the sequel’s significance will depend on what it delivers on screen and how audiences respond to its new chapter. But Imasuen’s reflections make clear that the comeback is intended to be about more than reviving a Nollywood classic.
Twenty-five years after the original, the filmmaker is returning to Issakaba because he believes its central questions have not disappeared. Its return invites audiences to revisit those questions and consider what has changed, what remains unresolved and what the country has learnt about keeping its people safe.
