I have a lot of friends. My network is one of the deepest and widest in this country.
People marvel at its reach and wonder how I have built such a responsive network of friends and associates
What people don’t know is that I don’t just make friends just because
For you to be my friend, we must share the same outlook on life and ethos, and this is why you would see my friendships stretch from an Itua Ighodalo to a Porn star, with the entwining thread of conviction, empathy, love and sincerity serving as a bond
So when I received a call one beautiful morning from an Igbo High Chief whom I respect madly and still respect to death, seeking to recruit me in a war against Bisi Adebutu, I smiled
Chief, there is nothing in this world that would make me fight Bisi Adebutu, I told him emphatically
Of all of my friends, Bisi is the one who has given me the least financial support in this my life, but my love for that man, whom I just discovered is my aburo, runs deep
We both have Shomolu heritage, from which he has built one of the most enduring business empires in this country
Edgar. Bisi is using his father’s wealth and influence to oppress my brother. He has stolen his company, locked him up and tied him with handcuffs to a hospital bed
There is nobody in my 10,000-strong network that is capable of such a dastardly act, I said to myself, talk of Bisi, whose major weakness is drinking coffee up and down
I said, Chief, this cannot be true. The Bisi I know wouldn’t do such a thing. I don’t even have to speak to him to know that this assertion is wrong
Edgar, we need you. We need your weight. We need your media power; this is a fellow Southerner, he said, in a last-ditch attempt to sway me
Chief, I won’t fight Bisi; the best I can do is to put you guys in a room to talk, but to carry a pen and fight Bisi, I will NEVER
He now says ok, talk to the sister of the guy Bisi is oppressing; then you just may change your mind
She comes on the call with the usual emotional platitudes
Ohhh Edgar, Bisi has stolen my brother’s company, ohhh he has used his weight to suppress him, got police to snatch him from hospital bed at midnight and whisk him to prison…
I laughed. My sister let me put Bisi on the call, and let’s see how we can get a middle ground
I call Bisi, and Bisi tells me his side – as suspected, his side is very far from what I had heard.
I cannot give the facts cos the case is still under adjudication, but just take it that Bisi is out of pocket to the tune of millions of dollars, his collateral is stuck at a bank, and he, according to him, took up all his Rights in the Rights issue, giving him full legitimate control of the Company in question
My brother, I begged, at least listen to the sister – believing I was dealing with people of integrity
Bisi, out of regard for me and pity for being his only friend that is not a billionaire, very reluctantly jumped on the call.
I did a lot of talking, and Bisi too did so much talking, and the mumu sister kept quiet a lot
I was begging for a middle-ground resolution so the boy would not rot in jail, and Bisi was explaining the transaction to the sister, who was hearing a lot of things about the transaction for the first time in her life
Lastly, we agreed that the sister should go back to the brother to brief him and revert
I didn’t hear from these mofos for weeks, only for me to hear from Bisi that the conversation was recorded and has been tendered in court
See me see wahala o. I was visibly upset and called Chief to enquire why I was being recorded without my knowledge and the recording being tendered in court
Chief said he would revert; to date, I’ve not heard from him
This morning, I woke up to a message from David Hundeyin, the internationally acclaimed investigative journalist, wanting to speak to me
I thought he wanted to discuss the American midterms, so I quickly called him, and it was this idiot people matter
Apparently, they had approached him to join the fight against Bisi Adebutu, pushing their Yoruba-oppressingIgbo story and how all the Igbo people will rise to castrate Bisi and then mentioned my name as the traitor
I took my time, sat down, crossed my legs, and explained what I knew to David, whom I know as a thorough and fair person
When I finished, he said – Edgar, do you know that even your first convo bf Bisi was recorded, and I have the tape?
Aghh, these people mean business o, I exclaimed
Then he added – Edgar, immediately I heard the recordings, I began to have my doubts about their story and would not lend my name to something like this
I said God bless you, my brother and immediately called Bisi to brief him
Bisi went philosophical, and this is strange for him – Edgar, truth perseveres
You see, pulling in ethnic and other types of considerations into a straightforward matter like this only just shows the desperate need to obfuscate the truth to confuse justice, but like we always have known, no matter what, Justice and Truth always stand out
You can hawk the recordings of my talk with you to even the CIA truth will eventually come out
And for Bisi, anyone who knows him should go and tell him that if he doesn’t send me a plate of Afang for all this suffering I am suffering on his head, na me go come beat am, or I release his nude then he can come and beat me
Kai
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: November 4, 2026
