CineTV contest: Issakaba, favorite childhood movie

Around November of last year (2024), news and clips surfaced about the filming of the return of a blockbuster movie, Issakaba, that made our childhood days so memorable. The nostalgic feeling was high, and we eagerly wished for its release soon, hoping that it would match the quality—both in story and execution—of the original classic. Source

The movie Issakaba is one childhood film I can't forget in a hurry. The jubilation we felt whenever we heard the iconic theme music, the excitement that surged through us when we heard the legendary chant, "Ihhhhhh! Sakaba!"—Oh my goodness! The feeling is indescribable, reminiscing about those golden days.

At first, I watched this movie in the homes of many neighbors—those who had the big cassette movie players. Unfortunately, we only had a television at the time but no video player, so we would gather at neighbors' houses to watch it. Some had black-and-white TVs, while a few had colored televisions, where we could fully appreciate the beauty of the movie, especially the striking red accents on the Issakaba boys' dress code.

When the transition from the big cassette video player to the VCD format happened, we had finally gotten a colored TV and a VCD player. The first set of movies we watched on it were Issakaba Part 1, 2, 3, and 4. The movie was so captivating that as children, we formed our own Issakaba group as kids. We would wield cutlasses, dress in all-black outfits with a touch of red, and even mark black lines on our faces using charcoal. Ooooh! Those were the good old days!

About the Movie:

Source

Issakaba is a Nollywood action/drama movie released in 2001.
The "Issakaba group" consisted of young men with strong physiques, enhanced by a touch of supernatural (diabolical) powers, who fought for justice—especially against the terror gripping their city. These warriors wielded both cutlasses and guns, but their most remarkable ability was 'Odeshi'—a mystical power that rendered them immune to gunshots, axe strikes, and blade cuts...a kinda bulletproof. Even to this day, every Nigerian understands what 'Odeshi' means, thanks to this iconic movie.

A particular community was being ravaged by criminals—armed robbers who carried out daylight heists, ruthless kidnappers, ritualists, and many other evil elements. When the situation became unbearable, the king and his council decided to call in the Issakaba boys to restore peace—because even the government (police) was corrupt. The mere arrival of the Issakaba boys struck fear into many, and soon, some of the top figures in the community were exposed as the masterminds behind the robberies, kidnappings, and ritual killings.

The most thrilling part of the movie was the end of Part Two, where a powerful native doctor named 'Igbudu' was finally defeated. Igbudu was so formidable that the Issakaba boys had to sacrifice some of their own to summon their Grandmaster, who alone had the strength to neutralize him. What a movie!

The film starred several legendary Nollywood actors, including Sam Dede as Ebube, the late John Okafor (Mr. Ibu), the late Amaechi Muonagor, Chiwetalu Agu, and many others.

Now that we’ve grown up, re-watching or simply talking about this movie brings back a flood of cherished memories. Thank you for this prompt—it made me relive those moments while writing this!

Thanks for reading.

This is my entry to CINETV contest #131