By Kay Noel
The recently released Epstein files contain approximately 3 million documents, revealing his connections to royalty, presidents, politicians, and prominent figures in business and philanthropy. The emails concerning Nigeria expose his disturbing and problematic views about Nigerian women. Epstein was also interested in Nollywood and feared being defrauded in the oil business. At one point, he considered inviting Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Emir Sanusi.
Epstein exchanged letters with Jide Zetlin about business opportunities in Nigeria. One email sent by Epstein requests details of a woman, reading, “I need a short bio and her full name, please! Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll try to send the complete list of options as she will need to sort out her visas/flights… She might enjoy seeing how tech startups in Nigeria look a lot different in Africa. The team is young and great fun, and it’s very safe for a day or two.”
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate who was found guilty of child sex trafficking, mentioned coming to Abuja, Nigeria, in two emails. Another email from Nina K to Epstein reads, “Hello, Jeffrey. I just talked to my friend, and she is not in Paris now, she is in Nigeria, but will be back Thursday in Paris. Her name is Sadia, and here is her phone number.”
Epstein was involved in various business dealings with Nigerian partners, including the potential acquisition of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Nigeria, which he discussed with Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of Dubai-based logistics group DP World, and Jide Zeitlin, a Nigerian-born investment advisor. Sulayem’s first email to Jide reads, “Dear Jide, Jeffrey introduced us a while ago. We are very interested in Nigeria… We prefer Badagry because the infrastructure is better.”
The emails also reveal Epstein’s involvement in the sale of a helicopter to a Nigerian buyer for approximately $1.8 million. Additionally, an American lawyer, David Stern, emailed Epstein about a potential oil deal, stating, “PA has asked me to see a guy who has access to Nigeria oil and when selling it to China (or somebody else), F. can make around $6m. This seems very fishy.”
In another instance, Cecilia Varendh Mansson, CEO of TalentUp Africa, reached out to Epstein seeking seed investment for her startup, which connects African tech talent with international opportunities.
