Episode 1:
Everyone in Calabar knew Chief Ekanem Asuquo. If you didn't know his name, you definitely knew his chain of supermarkets - Asuquo Mart. From Ikot Ishie to Atimbo, his billboards towered over the roads, showing his gap-toothed grin like a campaign poster. "Buy smart, shop Asuquo Mart!" was a jingle that even babies hummed.
He lived in a sprawling mansion on Marian Road, the type that looked like it belonged in a Nollywood movie. The gates alone could make a poor man repent. His cars were the envy of commissioners. And his title? The Lion of Marian - self-proclaimed, of course.
Chief Ekanem was a man who had mastered the art of showing off. If his wife sneezed, he'd donate N500,000 to General Hospital Calabar. If his pastor visited, he'd kill a cow and livestream the event on Facebook with the caption: "Blessings are contagious."
But behind the showy exterior and overflowing bank accounts was a story Calabar's breeze carried only at midnight - whispered, not spoken. A story of dark pacts, betrayed friends, and blood money.
It was said that twenty-five years ago, Ekanem had visited a juju priest deep in the creeks of Akpabuyo. Back then, he was a broke man selling slippers at Watt Market. One night, he vanished. When he returned, he was wearing a new wristwatch, a fresh swagger, and a strange smell that didn't wash off even with Dettol.
Months later, his business exploded. Supermarkets, lands, a transport company. He even funded a gospel album - not because he could sing, but because "he liked the beat."
People whispered that he sacrificed his childhood friend, Uduak, who went missing shortly after the trip. Others said he made a pact that no matter how rich he got, his children would never bring him joy.
He didn't care. Not then.
"It's better to cry in a Benz than laugh on a bicycle," he always said, sipping red wine while watching football alone.
But time, as they say, does not forget.
