KWAM 1 explains why he seized passports of his band members

Veteran Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as Kwam1, has reacted to allegation of seizing the passports of his band members each time they travel abroad.

Speaking during an interview with Goldmyne TV, KWAM 1 said it is embarassing that some of his band members abscond whenever they travel abroad for music shows or other events.

He also reacted to one of his band members, Ayankunle Ayanlowo’s claim of him enslaving them. Ayanlowo had said that he worked with Wasiu for 32 years, but he left them vulnerable during foreign trips by confiscating their passports.

The Fuji maestro alleged that Ayanlowo ran away from the band while they were on a tour in England, and since then, his travel documents have been confiscated by the British authorities for overstaying beyond the return date on the visa.

KWAM 1 said;

“Ayankunle and two others ran away from the band in England with their passports. And we returned to Nigeria.

“That was in the 90s. After he ran away, information reaching us indicated that in the course of his overstaying, he gave his passport to someone to come and present it at the British embassy. As of that time, they were not stamping visas on passport leaflets. The person successfully had his details changed to his while he maintained Ayankunle’s passport.

“On scrutiny, the embassy detected and withheld the passport. Ayankunle’s passport is at the British High Commission. This is someone who can barely read or write, and I facilitated a passport for him. I’m not the one who collected his passport. He has run away with it. How come the same passport is with me?”

Also reacting to another band member, Ismaila Olubade’s allegation of him (KWAM 1) withholding his passport and leaving it in the United States to go to his ex-wife in London, the Fuji maestro said the rash behaviours of his band members are unbecoming, compelling him to disband them.

He added;

“Is it possible for them to return to Nigeria without their passports? Of course, they all have their passports. If I had withheld their passports, Immigration or Customs would have questioned what I was doing with such a number of passports.

“When I saw that their problems were becoming too much for me, I disbanded them and then regrouped again with new members. After them, another set of people ran away. It’s a common thing with band members.”