A recently surfaced official gazette from the Federal Military Government has confirmed that Chief Obafemi Awolowo was released and pardoned by Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon on August 12, 1966, ten days after his actual release on August 2, 1966. The document puts to rest claims by Radio Biafra that Lt. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu or Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi played any role in securing Awolowo’s freedom.
According to the document, upon his release from Calabar Prison, Awolowo was received in Lagos by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed, who personally drove him to Dodan Barracks to meet with Head of State Lt. Colonel Gowon. However, the journey from the airport proved challenging as a massive crowd, organized by Alhaja Asabi Abibat Mogaji, mother of Nigeria’s current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, flooded the streets to welcome the revered statesman.
The gazette also refutes any suggestion that the coup plotters of January 15, 1966, including Majors Chukwuma Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna, attempted to release Awolowo. In fact, there is no record of them making any effort to contact or rescue him from detention. Some analysts argue that had Awolowo been politically active at the time, he might have been among those executed during the coup.
This revelation further solidifies Gowon’s role in shaping Nigeria’s political landscape during a tumultuous period, while also challenging revisionist narratives surrounding Awolowo’s release.
