October 1

October 1 is a gripping Nigerian crime thriller set in 1960, in the final weeks before Nigeria gains independence from British colonial rule. The story follows Detective Inspector Danladi Waziri, a skilled police officer assigned to investigate a series of brutal murders targeting young women in the town of Akote. Waziri discovers that the victims were virgins who had been strangled and mutilated, with a cross-like mark carved into their chests. Under pressure to solve the case before Independence Day, he faces resistance from his superiors and the local community while uncovering corruption, political tensions, and painful secrets from the past. His investigation eventually links the murders to Reverend Father Dowling, a missionary who abused young students years earlier. Waziri discovers that Prince Aderopo is behind the killings, seeking revenge for the trauma he and his sister suffered. Waziri confronts and defeats him in the forest before returning to Lagos to submit his report. However, the truth is not allowed to stand. Waziri's British superior, Mr. Winterbottom, orders him to create a false report blaming an innocent man, Usman Danladi, in order to protect the new government and the powerful Yoruba king connected to the prince. When Waziri refuses, he is threatened with court-martial and warned not to “rise above his station.” The film ends with Waziri receiving recognition for his detective work, while political interests and the need to protect Nigeria's fragile new government ensure that the truth about the murders is buried.