Duwa was not conquered by one man.
It was surrendered piece by piece through fear, ambition, obedience and silence.
When a disputed succession places Adele upon the throne, those who enabled his rise tell themselves they had no choice. Priests defend procedure. Soldiers obey commands. Officials perform their duties. Merchants pay for protection. Each person carries only a fragment of responsibility, while the kingdom bears the whole consequence.
Fifteen years later, Dadeola emerges from exile carrying the memory of her murdered parents and a sacred weapon whose meaning no one can explain. When evidence links the throne to a network of raids, disappearances and forced labour, she gathers a resistance founded upon a difficult principle: those who fight injustice must remain accountable for what they do in its name.
Her struggle will lead from the dangerous crossings of the Oya River to the hidden compounds of Zango, from the prisons of the Western Tower to the mysteries beneath Odu Mountain. Along the way, Dade must confront not only those who created the system, but those who survived by serving it.
Rich in political intrigue, spiritual ambiguity and moral conflict, Pawns of Complicit asks a haunting question: when wrongdoing becomes a system, where does one person's responsibility end?