Continued from GUARDIAN WEEKEND, February 7-8, 2026

AS the true-life-story of Biodun and Dupe unfolded, watchers of the romance saga between the duo were left to guess what would eventually happen to the young man named Biodun.

  Dupe’s father, Chief Famakin, was a business mogul. He had chains of companies all over the country. He had invested a lot in Dupe’s education and social life. He had a lofty dream for his daughter whom he cherished so much. He wanted her to marry from the elite, the super-rich and powerful. He knew Biodun to be a very poor lover boy, who lost his parents while still very young. Dupe, actually, was the person financing Biodun throughout his studies. She was so deeply in love with Biodun that she wouldn’t mind to go hungry so far Biodun was okay. Biodun too was really in love with Dupe. He had no other girlfriend in the school except her. They were both known in school for their mutual romance.

 Chief Famakin had someone else in mind to marry his daughter. He was Alhaji Abdulahi Dongo, his business partner. Though, Alhaji Abdulahi had about three wives, Chief Famakin was bent on giving out the hand of his only daughter to him as the fourth wife. Dupe herself had bluntly refused all entreaties and moves by her dad, but Chief was a strict disciplinarian, who wanted his orders obeyed by his household. Dupe had vowed to die than marry Alhaji Dongo. Dupe’s mum was based in London, overseeing one of her husband’s business interests there. Before Dupe’s mum travelled to London a year ago she showed sincere acceptance for Biodun regarding their relationship. She would always phone and advise her daughter to marry the young, handsome Biodun and forget about Alhaji Dongo, who was in his 50s.

 It was three days to Valentine’s Day, and Biodun was still in the cell. Dupe would visit him in the morning with food and water – the same in the afternoon and evening. The prison inmates, who had maltreated Biodun by beating him to a state of coma the first day he was put in the cell, were now lenient with him and pitied him when he narrated what actually brought him to the prison. They took pity on him. He was now lean and looked haggard. He had bruises on his body. Dupe would look at him with the deepest feeling of sympathy immediately she set eyes on him. Dupe was now two months pregnant for Biodun and her dad had vowed to kill him for putting his daughter in the family way.

 Dupe had been contriving plans to elope with Biodun. She was getting impatient every day. The sordid condition of Biodun was making her lose sleep and she became very unhappy towards her dad and everybody at home. But her dad was still adamant in spite of her daughter’s condition. Dupe then phoned her mum and gave a detailed account of what happened. She demanded for about £5,000 and her mum sent the money through a friend coming to Nigeria. She got the money on Valentine’s eve. She bailed her fiancé from prison and with the money they took the next available flight to Cross River State to continue their romance adventure there.

 During the one-hour flight to Cross River State, inside the airplane, Dupe unzipped her bag and brought out a piece of letter, which Biodun had written her two months ago…
                                
To be concluded.
      
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