Some Nollywood characters walk off the screen with stories so compelling, chaotic or complex that one movie simply isn’t enough. They hint at the possibilities of bigger worlds, deeper histories and untold stories waiting to be explored.
From unforgettable villains to quietly powerful women rewriting their stories, these are the characters whose lives deserve spin-offs, because their stories are far from finished.
Agbekoya and Prince Aderopo from October 1
Kunle Afolayan’s October 1 already hints at an early friendship, shared trauma and deeper class and psychological difference between the local farmer Agbekoya (Kunle Afolayan) and the aristocratic, psychopathic Prince Aderopo (Demola Adedoyin). A spin-off could expand both men’s inner worlds: a young Agbekoya and Prince Aderopo’s time at the missionary boarding school, descent into trauma, sexual molestation at the hands of the Reverend Father and the different ways both characters turn out. All this happening against the backdrop of Nigeria’s pre-independence contradictions will make a rich movie.
Gift from Gangs of Lagos
Gift (Adesua Etomi-Wellington) is a fascinating character in Gangs of Lagos. She’s a fiercely loyal fighter and street-babe shaped by the brutal politics of Isale Eko. The movie shows her as a survivor, a strategist and the emotional backbone of her friend group, but it only barely touches on her story.
A spin-off built around Gift could explore how she met Obalola and Ify, learned to navigate the underworld, the wars she fought before Obalola’s rise and how she built credibility in a male-dominated street hierarchy. With her mix of vulnerability, violence and authority, Gift has all the ingredients needed for her own gritty, character-driven action drama.
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Idia from To Kill A Monkey
In To Kill a Monkey, Lilian Afegbai’s Idia is the show’s quiet storm. She’s a calculating fixer who understands the real engines of street and power more than Oboz, the criminal husband (Bucci Franklin), she serves. A spin-off for her character could explore her life before she meets Oboz: background story, early start in Edo, moral grey zones, the journey to Oboz and how she survives in the underworld and environments built to silence her if need be.
Idia has a composure, ruthlessness and emotional mystery that writes the story itself. A thriller led by a woman who knows everything but says nothing.
Jedidiah from A Tribe Called Judah
Jedidah Judah (Funke Akindele) is the glue holding the wildly dysfunctional Judah family together. She’s a hustling single mother whose life is a masterclass in survival, sacrifice and willpower. A Tribe Called Judah shows her juggling five sons from five different fathers, endless financial pressure, and the emotional labour of keeping a home that never seems to stop burning.
There should be A Tribe of Judah’s prequel mini-series dedicated to Jedidah. Each episode could chronicle her character’s relationship with each of her children’s fathers. It’s something that is touched briefly in the movie but never fleshed out.
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Kazeem from Gangs of Lagos
Kazeem, played by Olarotimi Fakunle, is one of the most compelling villains in modern Nollywood. He’s a street and political enforcer who evolves into a political kingmaker controlling Isale Eko’s underworld. His spin-off could trace the power vacuum that allowed him to rise, the alliances he formed, the political machinery that enabled him, and the personal losses that hardened him into the man we meet in the movie. Think of a Lagos crime saga about how a boy from the slums became the most feared man in the city.
Liz Benson in Diamond Ring
The main character in the movie is a teenager who goes to school and joins a grave-robbing cult. They rob the grave of a rich AF woman whose name we never get (Liz Benson) and share the loot that she was buried with. The main character gets Liz Benson’s diamond ring (which he sells) and because it’s the thing that mattered the most to her in life, she decides to haunt the fuck out of him and his family, triggering a hunt for the ring that takes them across the world.
Liz is dead at the start and only shows up to angrily ask where her ring is. It’s amazing and you should watch it for fun. The spin-off should be a prequel showing who Liz was she alive, why the diamond ring was so special and why she has all these powers in death.
Makanaki from King of Boys
Makanaki, played by Reminisce, is one of Nollywood’s most iconic modern villains. He’s a brutal, charismatic, street-hardened figure who rebels against the political and criminal establishment that underestimates him. Makani’s rise from errand boy to feared warlord would make an exhilarating spin-off.
The movie could go into the gang wars, betrayals, and political manipulations that shaped him, as well as the personal story beneath the chaos. Makanaki carries enough myth, swagger and unpredictability to carry an entire movie about him.
Ogundiji from Jagun Jagun
Ogundiji (Femi Adebayo) is a master warrior, sorcerer and warlord whose war academy shapes the fate of kingdoms. But Jagun Jagun only scratches the surface of his origin. A spin-off could show how he came to have his mystical powers, built his army, enforced fear across territories and became the dark mirror of everything a warrior could be. Since it’s situated in Yoruba myth, this spin-off could be another Nollywood’s expansive fantasy epic, after Anikulapo and Lisabi, centred on ambition, conquest and the corruptive nature of power.
Saro from Anikulapo
Saro’s (Kunle Remi) arc goes from being a wandering cloth weaver to a man who gains and misuses the power to resurrect the dead. A spin-off could allow for a deeper dive and follow his childhood and his travels before arriving in Oyo. If made in the folklore-rich pattern of the Anikulapo movie and sequel series, Saro’s tale could expand the epic universe.
Scar from Shanty Town
Scar (Chidi Mokeme) is the heart of Shanty Town. A gangster, cult leader, trafficker and political tool to the core. His ruthlessness masks a strategic intelligence shaped by hardship. A spin-off about his early life; how he builds his criminal empire, his political networks and the personal demons that makes him a villain both feared and worshipped.
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