Bakassi Boys Arrest Issakaba Distributor, Confront Sam Dede, Lancelot Imasuen

Nollywood filmmaker Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen shared that the Bakassi Boys arrested the distributor of his 2001 film, Issakaba, in Aba, Abia State. They also confronted its lead actor, Sam Dede, about how the film showed the vigilante group.

Mr Imasuen said the group had issues with how the film portrayed them. They questioned how the filmmakers got details about their operations.

The filmmaker talked about these events in an interview with Channels Television while discussing Issakaba Returns, the upcoming sequel to the action franchise.

"That was one of the most unbelievable moments of my life. The distributor in Aba was then arrested by them, the Bakassi Boys," he said.

"They were dealt with, and they felt like the film went too far. They were asking, how did we know about them? Sam Dede was accosted in Aba while travelling to Port Harcourt."

Mr Dede played the role of Ebube, the leader of the fictional Isakaba Boys. Their fight against criminals was the main focus of the film.

Mr Imasuen explained that the production was based on real events happening in southeastern Nigeria at that time. He and his team followed the vigilante group's activities before its operations got mixed up in politics.

"They were not fallacy; they were true. Before the infiltration of the actual people that created that, we followed the story tenaciously as it was played in real time. We were making the movie," he said.

The filmmaker mentioned that they were aware of the risks of showing the activities of a group known for confronting suspected criminals. Their methods earned both public support and controversy.

"When political actors started taking advantage of them, we could have localized it and said, ‘Oh, it’s just chiefs’, but we knew what we were talking about at that time," he said.

"Our fears then were real. We feared they might come to us. But the success that trailed the release of that film then, we couldn’t just stop."

He added that the choice to keep making the film was about more than just money.

"The success was not about, ‘Oh, there was money to be made.’ It was about the reality that was with us," he said.

The 2001 film was produced by Chukwuka Emelionwu and Moses Nnam. The controversy around Issakaba showed how connected the film was to one of southeastern Nigeria’s biggest security issues in the late 1990s: the rise of the Bakassi Boys.

The vigilante group started in Aba in 1998 due to fears about armed robbery and insecurity. They gained support from residents who saw them as a solution to violent crime.

But their methods, which included punishing and killing suspected criminals without trial, raised concerns over human rights abuses.

The group's actions inspired Issakaba, which turned the real-life security crisis into an action thriller about vigilante justice, traditional beliefs, and fighting criminal gangs.

Mr Imasuen said the idea for the film came after the success of his earlier work, The Last Burial, produced by the late Chukwuka Emelionwu of Kas-Vid International.

The original movie featured many actors who were popular in Nollywood during the home-video boom.

The cast included Sam Dede as Ebube, Chiwetalu Agu as Odiwe, Pete Eneh as Mbanefo, Amaechi Muonagor as Igwe, Susan Obi as Lolo, Mike Ogundu as Nwoke, John Okafor as Amazuru, Andy Chukwu as Danga, Zulu Adigwe as Akuku, Diewait Ikpechukwu as Odogwu, Tom Njemanze as Idoko, and Uche Ndigwe as Osita.

Other actors included Emeka Nwachukwu, Emeka Ani, Remmy Ohajianya, Fabian Adibe, Steve Eboh, Cynthia Okereke, and Stella Ikwuegbe.

Some original cast members, like Pete Eneh, Amaechi Muonagor, John Okafor, and Zulu Adigwe, have died since then.

Released as Nigeria’s home-video industry was growing fast, Issakaba tapped into public worries about armed robbery, insecurity, and the limits of regular policing.

More than twenty years after the first film, Mr Imasuen is back with the franchise. Issakaba Returns is set for nationwide release on 13 November 2026.

Production started in 2024, with filming done in Asaba, Delta State. Mr Dede will reprise his role as Ebube.

Mr Imasuen is back as director, and the sequel will feature both veterans from the original film and a new generation of Nollywood actors.

The announced cast includes Chidi Mokeme, Nosa Rex, Iyabo Ojo, Regina Daniels, Alex Osifo, Charles Okafor, Mark Angel, Phyna, Francis Onwochei, Ben Olaye, Chudi Kashimawo, Yekini “Itele” Ibrahim, and Sanni Danger.

Returning cast members include Mr Dede, Mr Agu, and Mr Ogundu.