Biafra Civil War: Gowon says Igbo bank depositors were fully paid, defends Awolowo over £20 policy

Former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has defended the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo against long-standing criticism over the controversial post-civil war £20 policy, saying the decision was taken collectively by the Federal Government and was not Awolowo’s personal policy.

Gowon also stated that people from the former Biafran territory who could provide evidence that they had money in Nigerian banks before or during the Nigerian Civil War received the full value of their deposits, including accrued interest.

The former Head of State made the clarification in his memoir, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, where he revisited the circumstances surrounding the currency policy introduced after the end of the civil war in January 1970.

The £20 policy has remained a subject of public debate for decades, with critics accusing Awolowo, who served as Federal Commissioner for Finance during the war, of restricting people from the former Biafran territory to a flat payment of £20, regardless of the amount they had held before the conflict.

However, Gowon said Awolowo had been unfairly blamed for a policy that was approved by the Federal Government after consultations and consideration of the economic challenges facing Nigeria at the end of the war.

According to Gowon, the Central Bank of Nigeria established a panel to examine the possible consequences of converting the Biafran pound into Nigerian currency.

He explained that the exercise was difficult because the Biafran currency was not recognised by the Federal Government as legal tender during the war.

Gowon said the large volume of Biafran currency in circulation also created concerns that exchanging all the notes at the same value as the Nigerian pound could have caused serious economic disruption.

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Economic advisers subsequently recommended that the Federal Government provide a uniform payment of about £20 to each adult from the former Biafran territory, regardless of the quantity of Biafran currency presented.

“We agreed to the proposal and made it our official policy,” Gowon wrote, adding that the government faced major difficulties in determining the volume of Biafran currency in circulation and establishing a practical basis for converting it.

He maintained that the decision was made by the Federal Government and should not be attributed solely to Awolowo.

Gowon further stated that people who had left Nigeria but could provide proof that they held funds in Nigerian banks received the full value of their deposits, including interest, in Nigerian currency.

“Everyone who left Nigeria but had proof that they had money in Nigerian banks got the full amount of their money plus the interest it earned, all in Nigerian currency,” he said.

The former military leader argued that adopting a different approach could have created significant economic and administrative challenges during Nigeria’s post-war recovery.

The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafra War, began in 1967 and ended in January 1970 following the surrender of Biafran forces.

After the war, Gowon declared a policy of “no victor, no vanquished” and introduced the Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation programme, widely known as the 3Rs.

The programme was designed to promote national unity, rebuild war-affected communities and support the reintegration of the former Eastern Region into Nigeria.

Despite the government’s post-war reconciliation agenda, the £20 policy remains one of the most debated aspects of Nigeria’s post-civil war history.

Critics have argued that the policy caused financial hardship for many people in the former Biafran territory, particularly those who lost access to savings, could not provide documentation for their bank deposits or were unable to recover the value of assets affected by the war.

Some historians and commentators have also questioned whether the post-war reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes adequately addressed the economic losses and long-term effects experienced by communities affected by the conflict.

Gowon’s account has renewed public discussion about the Biafra Civil War, the post-war currency policy and Awolowo’s role in the Federal Military Government.

While Gowon maintains that verified Nigerian bank deposits were fully repaid with interest and that Awolowo should not be held personally responsible for the £20 policy, the issue continues to generate debate over post-war justice, economic recovery, historical memory and national reconciliation.

Biafra Civil War: Gowon says Igbo bank depositors were fully paid, defends Awolowo over £20 policy

The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 15-year-old boy who allegedly staged his own kidnapping in an attempt to extort N200,000 from his father in Suleja.

The teenager was arrested alongside a 17-year-old alleged accomplice after police traced him to a hotel in Suleja, days after his family reported him missing.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Monday.

According to the police, the 15-year-old left home after attending church on July 20, 2026, but failed to return, prompting concern among his family members.

The following day, the family reportedly received a telephone call from someone who claimed that the teenager had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of N200,000 for his release.

The matter was subsequently reported at the B Division of the Nigeria Police Force in Suleja, leading to the launch of an investigation.

Police detectives reportedly acted on credible intelligence and traced the teenager to a hotel in Suleja on July 25, where he was found with the 17-year-old.

“On receipt of the information, police operatives of the division commenced an investigation and, acting on credible intelligence, the said Kelvin was found at a hotel in Suleja on July 25, 2026, with his accomplice,” the police spokesperson said.

According to the command, the two teenagers allegedly confessed during questioning that they planned the incident to obtain N200,000 from the boy’s father.

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The police said the money was to be shared between them after the ransom had been paid.

“The suspects confessed that they planned to extort the sum of N200,000 from Kelvin’s father, after which they would share the proceeds of the crime,” Abiodun said.

The police said the alleged plan was uncovered before the family paid the requested ransom.

Both teenagers are currently in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, in Minna, where further investigations are ongoing.

The command said the suspects would be taken through the appropriate legal process after the investigation had been concluded.

The incident has renewed concerns over staged kidnapping, particularly the emotional and financial impact such incidents can have on families.

Security experts have repeatedly warned that fake kidnapping claims can cause panic, place families under severe emotional pressure and divert police resources from genuine cases involving missing or abducted persons.

The case also highlights the importance of reporting suspected kidnappings promptly to security agencies and allowing investigators to handle ransom demands and related threats.

Residents have been encouraged to provide timely and credible information that could help security agencies prevent crime and respond quickly to reports involving missing persons.

The Niger State Police Command said investigations into the alleged self-kidnapping plot were continuing.

How 15-year-old allegedly staged his own kidnapping to extort N200,000 from father

TikToker undergoes cleansing after filming Oloolu procession in Ibadan

A female TikTok content creator, Wasilat Olalere, has undergone traditional cleansing rites after recording and sharing footage linked to the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The incident attracted widespread attention after videos circulated online showing Wasilat participating in traditional rites at the Oloolu compound. Some social media users also circulated unverified claims that she had died following the incident.

However, the TikToker has dismissed the death rumours and maintained that she did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade.

Speaking during a telephone interview on Lagelu FM’s Ibi Aye N Lo programme, Wasilat said she only filmed people moving through the Oremeji area of Ibadan and did not intentionally capture the revered traditional figure.

“I am not dead. I did not capture the Oloolu masquerade. May I not be implicated; I did not record Oloolu,” she said.

According to her, she was standing in front of her family’s shop when she saw people moving through the area, including a vehicle belonging to the Oyo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun.

She said the Oloolu masquerade did not pass through the route where she was standing and insisted that she only recorded the crowd before uploading the footage to TikTok.

Wasilat said some users later advised her to delete the video. She added that people approached her at the shop the following day over the footage.

The spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, also clarified that the TikToker did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself.

Oloko said she reportedly captured Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition, after mistaking it for the main masquerade.

“She did not capture Oloolu; she mistook it for Alawo. We contacted the Mogaji of the Oloolu compound, and he confirmed that a woman who mistook Alawo of Oloolu for the real Oloolu masquerade captured it on the street,” Oloko said.

He added that Wasilat reportedly experienced health challenges after uploading the footage, prompting her family to seek assistance from the traditional custodians.

According to Oloko, the family contacted the Oloolu compound, where the prescribed rites were carried out in accordance with local customs.

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He said the Oloolu tradition is governed by longstanding restrictions and that women are traditionally prohibited from viewing certain aspects of the procession.

However, Oloko said he could not confirm claims that Wasilat disguised herself as a man to secretly record the event.

“I cannot confirm she disguised herself as a man. Those are accounts on social media. But she took the footage or photo on the street,” he said.

The Secretary of the Oloolu compound, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, said the TikToker was taken to the compound after the video she posted generated controversy.

According to him, the footage showed members of the masquerade’s entourage and followers, while the caption on the video identified the scene as the Oloolu procession in the Sokoto area of Ibadan.

Akeem said Wasilat later apologised, deleted the video from her TikTok page and expressed regret over the incident.

He added that the traditional cleansing was carried out in line with customs associated with the Oloolu festival.

Videos from the compound showed Wasilat with her head shaved and dressed in red while taking part in the traditional exercise. Some of the videos also showed traditional worshippers and items said to be connected with the prescribed rites.

The videos generated mixed reactions on social media, with some people defending the exercise as part of a longstanding cultural tradition, while others raised concerns about the content creator’s dignity, safety and consent.

African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, criticised the reported treatment of the TikToker, describing it as an abuse of human dignity.

Sowore argued that cultural practices should be respected but should not be used to justify actions considered oppressive, discriminatory or harmful.

Meanwhile, the Oloolu family defended the traditional exercise, maintaining that the rites were conducted according to the customs of the community.

The incident has renewed public discussion about the relationship between traditional practices, individual rights and the growing influence of social media.

It has also raised questions about how cultural restrictions should be communicated to residents, visitors and digital content creators as smartphones make it easier to record and share events in real time.

The annual Oloolu Festival is celebrated by descendants of the Oloolu lineage and attracts traditional rulers, worshippers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors from different parts of Yorubaland.

The festival features prayers, rituals, drumming, dancing and processions intended to honour ancestors and promote peace, protection, prosperity and community well-being.

Unlike many public masquerade festivals, the Oloolu tradition is governed by strict customs, including restrictions on photographing, filming or viewing certain aspects of the procession.

TikToker undergoes cleansing after filming Oloolu procession in Ibadan