New Revelations: Biyi Bandele’s tragic death linked to suicide – Report

New details have surfaced about the death of renowned novelist, playwright, and Nollywood filmmaker, Biyi Bandele.

Bandele, who passed away on August 9, 2022, in Lagos at the age of 54, was initially announced dead by his daughter, Temi Bandele, without revealing the cause. However, in a recent report by The Guardian UK, it was disclosed that Bandele tragically committed suicide.

According to the report, Bandele took his life a day after a conversation with his editor, Hannah Chukwu, regarding his novel Yorùbá Boy Running, in early April 2022. After sending a revised version of his manuscript, Bandele ended his life the following day.

The 54-year-old filmmaker left behind a diverse and remarkable body of work, including the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, stage adaptations of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and novels such as Burma Boy, which depicted his father’s experiences during World War II.

His final novel, Yorùbá Boy Running, tells the story of Samuel Àjàyí Crowther, a 19th-century figure who was abducted, enslaved, and abandoned in Sierra Leone before returning to Nigeria to become the first Black bishop ordained by the Anglican Church.

Before his death, Bandele directed and adapted the screenplay for Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman in 2022, based on Wole Soyinka’s classic Death and the King’s Horseman. Produced by EbonyLife Films, the movie was released on October 28, 2022, and starred actors like Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello, and Deyemi Okanlawon.