The Testator Read online

  Acclaim for The Testator

  This is a riveting tale of betrayal, deceit, seduction, lust, legal drama, revenge, power and money. I felt like I knew all the characters personally and knew all the places where the events took place. I couldn’t put down the book once I started reading it. Kanayo O. Kanayo and Tony Ekwoaba have written a brilliant thriller that I hope will be turned into a film soon.

  — Dr Joe Abah

  The central theme of this work of fiction is on the niggling social issue of will - whether testate or intestate. What is really constructive in this genre of legal fiction, however, is the creative form in which it is narrated. In what is truly a masterpiece, the authors have weaved an enthralling story around a solemn topic that is as educative as it is entertaining— that too in a most intriguing, captivating and gripping manner. The style and diction are simple enough to elucidate the workings of Nigeria’s justice system and, by extension, some aspects of the daily life of the ordinary man on the streets of Nigeria. This work is a collector’s item that ought to feature on every family shelf.

  — John C. Azu, Judicial Editor for Daily Trust Newspaper and media ambassador of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights

  The Testator grips you on page one and doesn’t let go until the breathless ending. Together, Kanayo and Ekwoaba have created a three-dimensional world filled with innocence and greed, life and murder.

  — Mary Harris, US Author and editor

  This is a wonderful work of art that is just as entertaining as it is didactic...There is an ample deployment of legal registers for students studying or taking courses in English language and easily passes for an introductory course in a law degree programme...

  — His Worship, Samuel Ebiyekhimi Idhiarhi,

  Chief Magistrate, FCT, Abuja.

  The authors have demonstrated that they possess the requisite expertise and gravitas to churn out this historic masterpiece of literary work. Exquisite, superb, and piercingly engaging, you won’t dare put the book down until the last page. The Testator is a thrilling socio-legal piece that dares your imagination and creativity.

  — Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, OFR, Ph.D.

  With lush, breathtaking prose, this fast-moving legal thriller delivers an intriguing portrayal of crime, family, culture, economic anxiety, and the ways in which people navigate a broken system. An incisive political commentary with unforgettable characters and an enthralling series of events, The Testator makes for both an exciting and intellectual read.

  — Jake Okechukwu Effoduh, Partner, Praxis & Gnosis Law, Nigeria; Vanier Scholar, Osgoode Hall Law School, Canada.

  This fictional thriller, The Testator depicts the ups and downs of legal practice. It reveals the intersections of law, life, criminality and the triumph of justice with the aid of technology. It is a masterpiece on the beauty of art and law. Kudos to the inventive genius of the authors.

  — Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN

  “In the TESTATOR, the authors take the readers through a surreal and magical adventure in the tragicomedy of power, law and human suffering. This tale has a dramatic effect; it runs like a real theater of the absurd and malevolence interspersed with exhilarating dark humors. The plots are a tightly woven tale that reads like something from Albert Camus’s The Trial. Its twists and turns are cinematic. As I read, I could imagine myself with a cup of popcorn trapped in the sight and sound of a big cinema screen. The Testator marries uncanny insights about the pathology of the criminal justice system with a cynical appreciation of the human condition. Intrigues, greed and fear are woven together in a tapestry of maladministration of justice. Shakespeare would find so much to laugh about in the book. He thought all lawyers should be killed. After reading this book, he may now say :”First, let’s kill the human’. Kanayo and Ekwoaba’s book deserve another and another read. It is worth the time.”

  — Dr Sam Amadi, Associate Professor and Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thought

  In this interesting work of fiction that marries law with romance, betrayal, comedy and terror, ace actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo, and Tony Ekwoaba, deploy a theme that is fresh and resonant yet hardly ever discussed in a society where many prefer to live in denial about the certainty of death. Beautifully written and enjoyable from the first page to the last, ‘The Testator’ is one of those imaginative and gripping tales so authentic that readers begin to ask: Is it based on real life experience?

  —Olusegun Adeniyi, Chairman, THISDAY Editorial Board

  “The Testator is a masterpiece! The authors’ imagination and prowess in writing captures the mind from start to finish.”

  —Saifullah I. U. Bello Esq.

  “In The Testator, Kanayo O Kanayo and Tony Ekwoaba have masterfully delivered a gripping legal thriller full of twists, turns, suspense, drama and compelling characters. From the first chapter, you enter a world of despondency and reincarnation. By the time you are done, you are filled with rage and relief.”

  —Simon Kolawole, journalist and founder of

  The Cable online newspaper

  THE TESTATOR

  Copyright © 2021 Kanayo O. Kanayo and Tony Ekwoaba

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Except for appropriate use in critical reviews or works of scholarship, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or in any information storage and retrieval systems, without express permission in writing from the authors.

  Requests for permission should be addressed to: [email protected], [email protected]

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, and locations is entirely coincidental.

  Harmony Publishing

  Plot 1 Emmanuel Anabor, Off Mopo Road, United Estate,

  Sangotedo,

  Lagos, Nigeria

  2347032212481

  [email protected]

  ISBN-13: 978-100-52145-3-1

  Edited by Tope-EniObanke Adegoke and Mary Harris

  Book Cover Design by Samuel Anwakang

  Formated by Eswari Kamireddy

  Dedication

  The book is dedicated to every lover of justice. We pray for a better justice delivery system in our beloved country Nigeria.

  Table of Contents

  FOREWORD

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  FOREWORD

  The certainty of death strongly suggests that man should by all means possible prepare for what is to happen to his Estate upon his demise. The said suggestion was well taken by the billionaire and business mogul, Chief Peter Onu as captured in the riveting prose which is befittingly titled ‘The Testator’.

  Upon reading the manuscript of ‘The Testator’ which was presented to me by the authors: His Worship, Tony Ekwoaba and the Veteran actor and Lawyer, Kanayo O. Kanayo. Esq., MFR., I must say that I find the work to be a masterpiece and its theme moved me to graciously accept to write this foreword.

  Although ‘The Testator’ is a fictional literary work, same mirrors the real life quagmires and theatrics enveloping the issue of inheriting the deceased member of a family. The work also exhibits the advantages of writing a Will. One of such advantage being to prevent one’s kindred from engaging in lifelong family feud over one’s Estate long after one’s demise.

  In ‘The Testator’, Chief Peter Onu foresaw the war that would have ruined his empire and he proactively arrested same using his testamentary directives. Other advantages of a Will as exposed in the captivating prose includes giving the testator: the leverage of appointing Executors to distribute his assets; the ability to appoint specific persons to manage his business; the freedom to make donation to charitable organizations of his choice; being assured of unbroken chain of administration of his Estate and the chance to give directions as to how he wishes to be buried.

  Being a judicial officer, I must commend the effort of the authors in exposing several aspect of the legal system particularly the hint at the practice of the legal profession by young lawyers; the proceeding of the court system, the administration of criminal justice and the prison system. All of which encapsulates the apprehension of the citizens as manifested through the various characters in the instant narrative. I also commend the authors’ effort at using a fictional tale to bring about an appraisal and a critique of the socio-economic and socio-cultural issues prevalent in Nigeria.

  Above all, ‘The Testator’ will serve every reader with an effortless assortment of imaginative ente
rtainment, legal education and socio-cultural lessons owing to the intrigues in the plots, the clarity of information supplied, the richness in proverbial quotes and the vivid description of the setting.

  I heartily recommend ‘The Testator’ for every household and every individual from all works of life and I can confidently say that once you open the first page, you will find it difficult to resist flipping the next page till you get to the end.

  HON. JUSTICE BENEDICT BAKWAPH KANYIP (FNIALS)

  President, National Industrial Court of Nigeria

  CHAPTER 1

  Pius leaned on the big mahogany table that used to be the office front desk. He’d just been wondering how he would accomplish the day’s tasks without a secretary. Rebecca Ocholi, his secretary who was the last staff member on that desk, had just resigned yesterday. She simply sent a text message that she had gotten a job elsewhere. This was after five months of not being paid any salary, five months of her coming to work, hoping things would get better, but things never did.

  At past 8 o’clock, her usual time of resumption, she was nowhere around the office. Pius was reluctant to call. You know that moment you wished to scold someone but you couldn’t because you weren’t meeting your part of the deal, so you just accepted whatever you got? It was like a child hurt in his disobedience holding back his tears. That was what was happening with Pius. She was conscientious. One amongst a dozen of them that had come in the hope that things would get better; but as they say, boiling a rotten egg for hours would never undo its rottenness.

  On the peeling wall was a framed picture of Pius with Mr Olasupo Shasore, SAN, a former Attorney General of Lagos State. Pius wore an elaborate, expensive wig and gown. Strangely, it was the same wig and gown he’s had to date, though it just didn’t feel the same anymore, as though the glamour evaporated with the fall. But how did he get so messed, so damned messed up. He has asked himself this question a billion times and more, and perhaps he would keep asking for the rest of his life.

  His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps approaching the staircase. The two offices on the top floor were closed. They usually closed early before 6:00 pm. He looked in the direction of a wall clock, it read 3:00 pm. It was in a state of comatose, static. He recalled the last time Rebecca had requested money for stationeries and batteries for the clocks and he had told her he would give her the next day. He never did. He checked his Michael Kors wristwatch and it read 6:21 pm. Whoever it was wasn’t going to the office above him. The person was coming to his law office.

  Pius listened as the footsteps approached.

  The only visitor he has had in recent times was Michael, the house agent. He had come innumerable times asking for the rent and had threatened to evict him. He’d spoken about the rent perhaps in every language he could speak, and was determined to get his pound of flesh, if it came to that. It wasn’t just the rent. Pius hadn’t been quite diligent with all the other payments, including electricity bill, security and waste disposal bills. Michael had seen for himself how bad it looked, even though he disbelieved it, as nobody would think a lawyer of Pius’ status couldn’t afford to pay even electricity bills which the tailors downstairs paid ad libitum. It sort of lent to the stereotype that lawyers would rather make trouble than pay rent. Whatever it was going on, Michael had said, he wouldn’t keep up with Pius’ excuses for long. He was fed up!

  Each approaching footsteps doubled Pius’ heartbeat. It didn’t sound like Michael’s. He’d just been around yesterday, when he threatened rather subtly that things would be different the next time he came around. He didn’t have to say it; Pius knew. He knew that Michael liked him no more than a dog liked a cat.

  The footsteps drew closer, slowly and laboriously.

  “Could it be a client?” Pius soliloquized, not sure what else to think. He hasn’t had any in months, as far as he could recollect, except for the few cases that brought the few pennies here and there, most of whom were from a few old clients who didn’t bother finding out where he was hiding; none of them cared to visit the rathole he called an office as if they knew it wasn’t worth their visit.

  Whoever it was kept climbing, and he listened. It seemed the person hummed as he or she came up the stairs, even though he barely heard anything due to the noise outside. Whoever it was surely was as heavy as the steps that came pounding on the stairs.

  Then there was a rattle on his office door. Pius quickly stood upright and stepped away from the mahogany table. He made for the door. But before his hand could reach the handle, the door swung open.

  The man standing in the doorway looked no less than the trunk of an iroko tree. He filled the entire doorway. He was as tall as he was broad, with little eyes that flashed from his ball-round face. A curly moustache rested beneath his flat, thick nose. He must have been in his fifties, and no less. He wore a black, expensive-looking coat.

  “Barrister Pius?” His voice was hoarse and loud. As he spoke, he panted, and Pius noticed it was quite a task for him to climb the stairs.

  Pius nodded.

  “Barrister Pius Egbe?”

  He nodded again.

  The heavy figure moved farther into the room and stretched out a thick arm for a handshake. His grip was firm, his palm wrapped around Pius’.

  “You can call me Nick,” he said. Pius caught a whiff of cigar in his breath.

  He glanced at him, not sure what he could possibly do for such a figure.

  “Won’t you take me into your office?” Nick roared.

  “Oh, yes! Yes!” Pius exclaimed, recovering from his absentmindedness. He’d been so stunned at the figure before him that he forgot to take him into the office. He turned and led the way.

  It was a small law office. Front desk, a small shelf nailed to the wall for a library, the Principal’s office, and a workstation for two lawyers. The office was mostly partitioned with board and glass. The previous occupant did the partitioning before the law firm was set up. Pius only retained the earlier partitioning and repainted the place.

  Nick looked through the spaces as they walked through the passageway, examining everything with rapt attention. He didn’t utter a word until he got to a small cubicle with the tag, Principal’s Office.

  “How long have you been here?” he asked.

  “Three years.”

  “Since the fall,” Nick stated. It wasn’t a question. It was a remark, one that dripped with sarcasm.

  Both men walked into the Principal’s Office. There, at the centre, was a big desk, with two chairs for visitors. Pius crossed over and sat down.

  The visitors’ chairs hadn’t had anyone sit on them for aeons. Apart from the chairs, there was a bookshelf filled with a few law books, law reports, and dusty case files. The entire place reeked of musty papers.

  “You may have a seat,” Pius stated, noticing that Nick was still standing. He was looking at the framed pictures on the peeled wall, old pictures of the Principal with top lawyers, politicians, and businessmen. Those were the days when Pius Egbe was a name that commanded respect. Those days he had dreamed someday he would reach the apogee of his career, that he would become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and he was close to some of the requirements: ten years post call to bar, eight judgements in the High Court, six Court of Appeal and three Supreme Court judgements, receipts of his practicing fees payment.

  “Sit down, you said?” Nick asked, rather amused. Pius noticed his reluctance. The chair was very dusty and dirty. He grabbed a piece of cloth and dusted the chair and beckoned Nick to sit. Nick sat down and both men laughed.

  “Mr Nick. How may I help you?” Pius asked in the most professional tone, trying as much as he could to be polite and welcoming. He wouldn’t miss this single client who went through the stress of finding him in the rat hole he called an office. The gold Rolex watch on his fat wrist and big ring on his finger showed he wasn’t a man of mean earnings. His coat really didn’t look good, it was a horrible taste in fashion, but the wristwatch and ring were a statement. A statement to the fact that he was a rich man. A very rich man.

  “How may you help me?” he asked. He seemed to have this habit of replying to things with questions. Pius didn’t know why the big man did that, but he responded with a smile, still trying to sound polite.