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Spotlight: The Nigerian Mafia- Mumbai by Onyeka Nwelue

Spotlight: The Nigerian Mafia- Mumbai by Onyeka Nwelue

Mumbai, the City That Never Sleeps
Ek ungli kharab hai toh sab mat kaato – that is to say,
don’t chop off all fingers if just one of them is rotten.

About the Book



Nollywood actor, Uche Mbadiegwu leaves his Surulere neighborhood in Lagos, to Bandra in Mumbai to join Bollywood, so he could make it big, hoping to play exceptional roles.


Like a flash, Periwinkle appears in his life and changes everything. Tired of living in a pigsty, Efemena wants to live a life of independence, but there is more to being a Nigerian in Mumbai - a constant escape from the Indian police and narcotics agents.



This novel is a tale of violence, drugs, human trafficking, murder, and sex.


Praise for the book

Onyeka Nwelue is Africa’s literary boy-wonder.”- Nury Vittachi, Author of Goodbye Hong Kong, Hello Xianggang

“An unusual noir thriller and worth a look for those interested in seeking crime tales based in other countries.” -Run Along The Shelves

“The Nigerian Mafia: Mumbai, was an interesting portrait of an expat group of Nigerians abroad!” - Annabel

About the Author



Onyeka Nwelue, born in 1988, is a Nigerian scholar who has had esteemed positions in academia in African studies at two of the world’s most prestigious universities, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. 


His crime fiction, “The Nigerian Mafia: Mumbai,” is the first installment in a 10-book series, which has gone on to be longlisted for the 2023 Chinua Achebe Prize and shortlisted for the 2023 ANA Prose Prize. It’s being developed for film by Indian filmmaker, Ramesh Raparthy.





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