Ernest Osogbue.
The statement ‘be careful who your friends are,’ could never have been truer as it is in the world today. Even after death, it has emerged that long forgotten relationships, innocent liaisons, simple emails, and casual offhand comments, shared with friends, could come back to haunt the living. That the late billionaire, Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted American celebrity sex offender, could wield such enormous influence, even in death, butresses the point even more; that the character and personality of those we choose to be our friends really do matter.
From the Middle East to Central Asia, from America to Europe, Oceania to Antarctica, and wherever else the trail leads, Jeffrey Epstein has been pulling down institutions, scattering families and relationships, destroying lives and reputations, and placing a question mark on the character of personalities, institutions, and organizations, which hitherto, had had any dealings with him. Jeffrey Epstein took his own life, in a New York jail in 2019, while facing multiple accusations of rape and sexual assault. Before then, however, he had served time in prison, having been convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute in 2008. The conviction followed an accusation by a Palm Beach, Florida, parent, that Epstein, had sexually assaulted her 14 year old daughter. An investigation into that accusation, had opened a can of worms, revealing several incidents of sexual assault by Epstein, against girls as young as 14. Despite the seriousness of the case against him, Epstein only served about one year in jail, after using his highly placed friends to snag a plea deal. This however, did not prevent him from being registered as a sex offender.
Following his release from prison after doing his time, Epstein continued with his jet setting lifestyle, with rumors continuing to swell of his predatory sexual activities with underage girls, alongside some of his highly placed friends. After his death by suicide in 2019, following renewed accusations of rape and sexual assault, there was pressure on then President Joe Biden, to release the Epstein files, with a view to unraveling the life, times, and activities, of Jeffrey Epstein. Due to the mention of highly placed democrats in the Epstein saga, President Biden was unwilling to do this. Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, therefore, made a campaign promise to Americans in 2024, to release the Epstein files were he to win the US presidential election. Soon enough, however, Trumps name equally surfaced as a possible Epstein collaborator, and so, President Trump developed cold feet about releasing the files after winning the presidential election. It took the American Congress, having to pass The Epstein Files Transparency Act, in 2025, before the Epstein files began to see the light of day.
As of today, more than 3.5 million documents; including photographs, letters, emails, voice and video recordings, have been released to the public by the American Department of Justice, DOJ. Since the release of the files began in December 2025, the world has not remained the same, as several high profile personalities from around the globe, including politicians, celebrities, sportsmen and women, leaders of reputable institutions, high profile academics, persons of royal birth, and many others, have been exposed in their various relationships with Jeffrey Epstein. While no wrongdoing has been established against most of the names and persons said to have been friends with Epstein, the simple fact of having a close relationship with a convicted child sex offender, is enough embarrassment in itself.
This fact has led many prominent people to resign their appointments, issue apologies for their error in associating with Epstein, and in other cases has led to more serious consequences. For instance, only last week, former US president, Bill Clinton, was deposed by the US House of Representatives, over his relationship with Epstein. Amongst the Epstein files released, were photographs of Clinton in the presence of women, cosying up to Epstein, and his erstwhile lover Ghislane Maxwell. There were also several emails, between the White House and Maxwell, during the Clinton presidency. Similarly, Clinton’s wife, Hilary, a former First Lady, former Senator, and former Secretary of State, was equally deposed by the US House of Representatives. Despite both the Clinton’s not having been accused of any wrongdoing, it is quite obvious that the entire Epstein saga, has been of great embarrassment to the Clinton name and entire household.
Away from the Clinton’s, former Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles the 3rd of Britain, has been most hit by the whole Epstein issue. Having been accused on several occasions prior, of preying on underage girls alongside Epstein, Andrew has been stripped of his royal titles, chased out of the royal family, and can no longer lay claims to being blue blooded. It follows, that the former Prince Andrew, is now just another regular guy on the streets. This position was brought to stark reality, when the Metropolitan Police in England, arrested, detained, and questioned, the former Prince for several hours a few weeks ago. A picture of the former prince inside a police squad car as he was being whisked away from his residence to the police station, has become a bestselling piece of art. Here was a member of the revered Royal Family, a son of the respected and beloved Queen Elizabeth the 2nd of Great Britain, being plucked away by the police like an ordinary criminal. It was indeed a humbling and sobering moment.
A list of persons whose names and reputations have been brought to question in relation to the Epstein files, would read like a who is who in global affairs. He collaborated with most of them on different projects, flew them in his private jet, some to his private Island in the US Virgin Islands, as he lived his life of debauchery. Epstein parties were like Diddy parties, a must attend for those who loved the high life. People jostled each other in order to associate with Epstein and enjoy the perks that came with being his friend. Today, however, most of them wish they could delete those associations. The Crown Princess of Norway, Mette-Marit, wife to the Crown Prince, who is next in line to the Norwegian crown, has recently issued an apology to Norwegians and to the King and Queen, following revelations that she had a close relationship with Epstein. She is said to have spent about four nights at one of the Epstein Islands. President Donald Trump, is another high profile name on the Epstein files, no wrongdoing has been established against him, and for now, he’s avoiding scrutiny due to his office, but someday, he’ll be required to say more about his Epstein links. Microsoft supremo, Bill Gates, and Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of the former prince Andrew, have both apologized recently for their relationship with Epstein. Richard Branson, Sergey Brin, Ehud Barak; the former Israeli Prime Minister, and many others, have been revealed as persons to have had dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. Larry Summers, a former Secretary of the US treasury, will retire from his professorship at Harvard University, following his links to Epstein. Borge Brende, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, WEF, and a former Norwegian Foreign Minister, will leave his position at the WEF. Nobel prize winning biologist, Richard Axel, has equally left his position at Columbia University, Morgan McSweeney, the Chief of Staff to the British Prime Minister, Kier Stammer, has also left his post. Thomas Pritzker, the Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels, has retired from his position, Steve Tisch, the owner of the American baseball team, the New York Giants, is still hanging on, following revelations of conversations with Epstein, who updated him on the availability of women of different nationalities, shapes, and sizes. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayen, was recently replaced as chairman and CEO of DP World. Howard Lutnick, the current US secretary of Commerce, is facing calls to resign, following revelations of his Epstein connections. Miroslav Lajcak, the National Security Adviser to the Slovakian government, left his post recently over his Epstein connections, same as Jack Lang, the former French Minister of Culture, who left his post at the Arab World Institute. Thorbjon Jagland, the former Norwegian Prime Minister, is equally in trouble, as is Mona Juul, who also left her post as the Norwegian Ambassador to Iraq and Jordan, following reports of being bequeathed $10m in Jeffrey Epstein’s will. Others to have apologized and quit their jobs, include Kathryn Ruemmler of Goldman Sachs, Brad Karp, of Paul Weiss Associates, former Business Secretary in the British government, Peter Mandelson, who’s being suspected of revealing trading secrets to Epstein. Cassey Wasserman has decided to sell his high profile sports agency, with Peter Attia, the chief science officer at David Protein, also stepping down. A couple of Nigerian officials have popped up in the Epstein files, but as of now, the entire nation is acting as if oblivious of the Epstein tsunami. High profile German financial institution, Deutsche Bank shares fell by 5.49% on the 4th of February, following revelations of its having dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. No official of the bank has so far been implicated, but having any dealings with Epstein, is now seen as a moral offense around the world.
As I said before, the entire world is being rocked by revelations from the Epstein files, and more revelations will come to light as the days, weeks, and months, go by. What is of interest to us, is the extent to which a man who died almost 10 years ago could drag the living into his web of suspicion. As the Bible says; there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. This maxim holds true in the context of our nation, in its present situation. People in position of authority, do as they please, politicians act as if there’s no tomorrow. Civil servants misbehave, engage in several illegalities by abusing their offices. For a long time now, many Nigerians believe that a day of reckoning would never come. The Epstein files stand, however, as a marker, and an indication, that someday, somewhere, somehow, a day of reckoning is lurking in the horizon. Every action that each of us may have taken, believing that we have covered our tracks properly, and that we will never be found out, will be discovered and exposed. The day of exposition will surely come.
It follows therefore, that we must make efforts to keep our noses clean. Be you a governor, minister, senator, representative, chairman, councilor, civil servant, businessman, contractor, director general, secretary, soldier, police officer, journalist, driver, pastor or bishop, cleaner, security, or even the president of Nigeria, and in whatever capacity you may have been given opportunity to serve, remember that a day will come, possibly, sooner, or probably some time after you may have left office, when you will be required to give account of your stewardship. Those emails you thought were irrelevant, the doctored receipts, fake companies you registered, lies that you told, and all the shenanigans you pulled, in order to get by in office, would all come together to judge you. Whether you will be exonerated or not would strictly depend on how you carried out your duties; either in honesty or in falsehood. For now, the cases of Nigeria’s former attorney general and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, currently under investigation by the EFCC, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, who is alleged to have forged his university degree and NYSC certificate, and the issues concerning Jeffrey Epstein, and his extensive trove of files, should be a reminder and a warning to all of us, that someday, somehow, all that is hidden would ultimately come to light.
