IANA Blog- August 2026 Part II

 Blog

Happy August,

Like I mentioned last month, August is also the month of Black August which is not a celebration, but more of a commemoration of the Black political prisoners, freedom fighters and revolutionaries who were assassinated, martyred and had their lives sacrificed for liberation, along with the Black liberation struggles in the U.S. Initiated by the Black Guerrilla Family after the assassination of revolutionary George Jackson.

Last year, I decided to talk about the political prisoners and freedom fighters of Nigeria who put their lives and careers on the line to fight for the liberation of Nigerian people. I talked about freedom fighters such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Herbert Macaulay, legendary musician/activist Fela Kuti and his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. Because I couldn’t recognize everyone, I figured I could make a part two and recognize a couple more of those freedom fighters and political prisoners.

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was a Nigerian military officer, politician, and freedom fighter who served as the President of Biafra from 1967 to 1970. Ojukwu was born on November 4, 1933, in Zungeru, Niger State, to Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, a wealthy Igbo businessman, who was the son of a clan chief from Nnewi, Anambra State.

World War II broke out when Ojukwu was seven years old, and he was sent to St. Patrick’s School and CMS Grammar School in Lagos. He then studied at Kings College, Lagos at the age of ten. His father then wanted him to study in England, and went to study at Epsom College in Surrey, in which Ojukwu stayed for six years, until he went to study at Lincoln College, Oxford at the age of 18, in which he studied law history and joined the West African Students Union and the Oxford Rugby Union. Ojukwu would graduate with a B.A. in arts in 1955, and would travel back later to obtain his M.A.

After his college years, Ojukwu would return back to Lagos. He would join the Nigerian Civil Service in Udi, Enugu State, as an assistant district officer. Ojukwu served in the Eastern Region, and because he learned Yoruba and English more than Igbo, Ojukwu started learning Igbo to communicate with the people. Wanting to escape the influence and demands of his father, Ojukwu would join the Nigerian Army in 1957.

Ojukwu would later join the Officer Cadet School in Eaton Hall, England in February of 1958, then became a Second Lieutenant. In 1959, Ojukwu was sent to Ghana to teach infantry tactics at Teshie Frontal School and military law at the Ghana Academy. One of his students was Murtala Muhammed. Although Ojukwu would stay to Ghana in 1960, he did return to Nigeria to witness his country gain its independence and many British officers were removed and Ojukwu was promoted to Major in the summer of 1961. What would happen later in the 60s would be the defining moment in the career of Lt-Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

In 1966, a group of military officers, led by Chukuma Nzeogwu, overthrew Nigeria’s first  Nigerian Republic. The coup led to the killing of 22 people, including the assassination of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Statesman Ahmadu Bello, the ending of the presidency of Nnamdi Azikiwe and the reign of military officer Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi as the first military dictator and head of state of Nigeria. On January 17, 1966, Aguiyi-Ironsi appointed military governors for the four regions, one of those appointed was Lt.-Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, who was in charge of the Eastern Region.

In May of 1966, a series of massacres against Igbo people, known as the 1966 anti-Igbo pogroms started, which was very concerning for Ojukwu. A month later, a counter-coup led by Murtala Muhammed, which was done as revenge for the death of Northern politicians and officers, resulted in the assassination of Aguiyi-Ironsi and Lt.-Col. Adekunle Fajuyi in Ibadan, the reign of Lt.-Col. Yakubu Gowon as head of state, and led to more deaths of Igbo people, which would eventually be one of the main situations which would eventually lead to the Nigerian Civil War.

On May 30, 1967, Ojukwu declared the independence of the Republic of Biafra after a vote of secession conducted in the Eastern Region. Two months later, Gowon attacked Biafra and provoked the civil war. The Nigerian government and military was backed by the UK and blocked Biafra from receiving food and supplies, which led to famine. Ojukwu, who led the Biafra into the war, used foreign media to highlight the plight the Biafrans and Igbos were receiving and depicted the war as a genocide against Igbos. The images turned the war into an international media circus and was one of the first televised wars in history, alongside the Vietnam War.

In 1970, the war would come to an end and led to millions of Biafrans dead, the political marginalization of Igbos, and Ojukwu to flee Nigeria and live as an exile in Côte d’Ivoire, where President Felix Houphoet-Boigny recognized Biafra as a sovereign and independent state and granted Ojukwu political asylum. In 1981, Nigerian President Shehu Shagari granted amnesty to Ojukwu and allowed him to return to Nigeria without facing legal or political consequences from the war. In 1984, Muhammadu Buhari, who would become head of state after the 1983 coup, jailed hundreds of political figures, including Ojukwu. Years later, Ojukwu unsuccessfully attempted to return to Nigerian politics and continued to be a political figure, until his death in 2011 in London at the age of 78, from a brief illness.

Ojukwu’s body was returned to Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan, and received a state funeral. He was buried with military honors, thousands of people attended his funeral, including Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings and he received a 21 gun salute from the Nigerian army. Ojukwu was seen as a “controversial” figure in the history of Nigeria. Ojukwu was survived by his wife Bianca and his seven children. 

While many Nigerians try to blame Ojukwu for starting the war by creating Biafra and oppressing non-Igbo minorities, many Igbos recognize him as a hero, a messianic figure and a freedom fighter for doing what he could do to save the Eastern population and save Igbos in Nigeria.

Gani Fawehinmi

Abdul-Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi was a Nigerian author, publisher, philanthropist, social critic, politician and civil/human rights lawyer. He was born on April 22, 1938 in Ondo to Seriki and Chief Shaheed Tugbobo Fawehinmi, who was a timber trader, philanthropist, civic activist and Muslim chieftain to the Yoruba people. Fawehinmi’s grandfather was Chief Lisa Alujanu Fawehinmi of Ondo, who engaged in successful battles for the Ondo people in the 19th Century. 

Fawehinmi received his education at Ansar-Ud-Deen Primary School, Iyemaja, Ondo from 1947 to 1953 and Victory College Ikare, a Christian School from 1954 to 1958. He was known as “nation” in college because of his interest in national, legal and political affairs and read the West African Pilot, the newspaper launched by Nnamdi Azikiwe. He would work as a law clerk in the High Point of Lagos until 1961, then enrolled at the Holborn College of Law- University of London, and completed his academic degree. During his college years, Fawehinmi would read books of revolutionaries and radicals such as Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, Mao Tse Tung and Fidel Castro. In 1964, he would return to Nigeria and would work at his brother’s law firm. 

After working at his brother’s law firm, Fawehinmi’s law career really took off when he took the case of factory worker, Andrew Obeya, who sued Secretary to the government of Benue-Plateau State, Andrew Obeya for assault and damages for adultery. Obeya was forced to resign, but Fawehinmi was detained for nine months. From 1971 to 1973, Fawehinmi became national publicity secretary for the Nigerian Bar Association. During his law career, one of Fawehinmi’s cases went to the Supreme Court, which was Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) vs. Chief Gani Fawehinmi, which would eventually lead to the Legal Practitioners Act of 1975.

 In 1986, Fawehinmi became a lawyer for Nigerian journalist Dele Giwa, who would be killed by a bomb under mysterious circumstances. Because of his activism, Fawehinmi was arrested, detained and charged several times, attacked multiple times, and even deported from the country at one point. Because he fought for the poor and oppressed in Nigeria, he was targeted by the military dictatorship. This has been happening between 1969 and 1996. Many supporters praised Fawehinmi, referring to him as “The People’s President”.

Fawehinmi would continue to be a prominent figure in Nigeria until his death in 2009 at the age of 71, from lung cancer. He is survived by his multiple children. Many other accomplishments include receiving the Bruno Kriesky Prize on June 11, 1993, the Bernard Simmons Award from the International Bar Association in 1998, both in recognition for his human rights work, a posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, which is Nigeria’s second highest honor, and holding chieftaincy title of the Lamofin of Ondo.

Mubarak Bala

Mubarak Bala is a Nigerian atheist, human rights activist and President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria. Bala was born in 1984 in Kano and comes from a family of Islamic scholars. He is a chemical process engineer by education. 

In the 2010s, Bala began his personal journey as an atheist, as he lost his faith in his religion as he grew and met people outside of his conservative and  religious hometown. His criticism became more vocal after witnessing more terror attacks in Nigeria.  His journey as an atheist truly began in 2013, after witnessing a female Christian get beheaded.

After converting to atheism, Bala was forcibly committed to a psychiatric institution in Kano by his “deeply religious family”, He was held there for 18 days, beaten, sedated,  and threatened to death. His mistreatment led to the International Humanist and Ethical Union to take up his case, as they believe that Bala’s human rights were violated. On July 4, 2014, Bala was released from the hospital in conjunction with a doctors’ strike and was seeking reconciliation with his family. Bala would later become President of the Nigerian Humanists.

In April of 2020, Bala was arrested for a Facebook post he made and was held without a charge. While in prison, Bala was denied access to healthcare, kept in solitary confinement and forced to worship Islam.

Human rights activist Leo Igwe worked to support Bala’s rights, in conjunction with other atheist and humanist organizations, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and supported by U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin. On April 5, 2022, Bala was sentenced to 24 years in prison, after pleading guilty to all 24 charges and asking for leniency. Following his guilty plea, the Humanist Association stated that Bala was “tricked into pleading guilty in hopes of a lighter sentence,” the chair of the International Religious Freedom of Belief Alliance called for Bala to be pardoned and legendary playwright and activist Wole Soyinka supported Bala, saying that his arrest was a part of a “plague of religious extremism” that has been afflicting Nigeria In recent decades.

Multiple campaigns from Humanists International member organizations led to Mubarak’s release from prison in 2024. He is currently living in Germany, where he received a six-month fellowship with the Humanist Society’s Shelter Program. He is also married and has a young son, who was born six weeks before Bala’s arrest.

Chris Abani

Christopher Abani is a Nigerian author, poet and professor who is part of the new generation of Nigerian writers working to convey to an English audience of those born and raised in Nigeria. Abani was born on December 27, 1966 in Afikpo, Ebonyi State. 

He published his first novel at the age of 16, known as Masters of the Board. His first novel was a political thriller, based on a coup carried out in Nigeria. Because of the plot of the novel, Abani was imprisoned for six months on suspicion of attempting to overthrow the government. He continued to write after being released from jail, but was imprisoned again after the publication of his 1987 novel, Sirocco. He was held at the infamous Kiri Kiri prison, where he was tortured.

After being released from jail, he composed several anti-government plays, performed on the street near government offices for two years. Abani would find himself imprisoned for the third time and be put on death row. His friends had to bribe government officials for his release in 1991. After his release, Abani, his mother and his family moved to the UK, lived there until 1999, then moved to the US.

Abani holds a bachelor of arts degree in English and Literary Studies from Imo State University, a master of arts degree in Gender and Culture from Birkbeck College, University of London, a master of arts degree in English and a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature at USC. Abani also continues to write and receive awards and accolades, including receiving the Hellman/Hamnet Grant from Human Rights Watch and a Distinguished Humanist Award from UC Riverside in 2008. He is currently the Director of the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University. 

Michael Imoundu

Michael Athokhamien Omnibus Imoundu was a Nigerian labour union leader and activist. Imoundu was born on September 7, 1902 in Owan West, Edo State. His father was a soldier in the West African Frontier Force and had served in East Africa and The Gambia.

After the death of his parents, Imoundu lived with and worked for a relative in 1922, who was working on the railways. He would travel to parts of the Mid-Western and Eastern Region and he would learn the Igbo language. He finished his elementary school education at Agbor Government School in 1927, then traveled to Lagos to work as a labourer.

Imoundu started labour union activities as a member of the Railway Workers Union (RWU), which was one of the most militant unions in Colonial Nigeria. The organization formed in 1931, when most trade organizations were similar to social undertakings rather than an industrial movement. In 1939, Imoundu became the President of the union, and under his leadership, the union fought for higher wages and improved worker conditions. Though the colonial government ratified some of the demands, the railway management was slow to implement change. On September 30, 1941, mechanical workers found their gates locked and Imoundu led a march to the seat of the government in Lagos Island. Although the demonstration was successful, Imoundu clashed with European managers, which eventually led to his dismissal in 1943. During that time, Imoundu was also detained, but his detention was later changed to restriction of movement under the Nigerian General Defiance Regulations and would be released after World War II in 1945. 

In June 1941, a meeting with different trade unions was held in Lagos, which led to the founding of the African Civil Servants Technical Workers Union to protect African technical workers. Imoundu, who was representing railway workers, was selected as Vice President. On July 2, 1945, Imoundu was welcomed back in Lagos by a large rally, after being detained, although his release was to soften the terms during the labour crisis. A couple days later, Imoundu led a general strike for better Cost of Living Allowance terms. 

In 1946, Imoundu was a part of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons with revolutionaries Nnamdi Azikiwe and Herbert Macaulay and protested the Richards Constitution. From 1947to 1958, Imuondu was leader of various trade unions, including being President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria. In 1986, Imoundu was honored with a labour institute, the Michael Imoundu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), which builds the capacity of workers, employees and government officials. Imoundu died on June 22, 2005, in Edo, at the age of 102.

Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti

Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti was a Nigerian physician and human rights activist. Born Bekolari Ransome-Kuti on August 2, 1940 in Abeokuta, Beko comes from the legendary Ransome-Kuti family. His mother was Nigerian educator, political organizer, human and women’s rights activist, revolutionary and freedom fighter Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. His father is Anglican priest and co-founder of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti. Beko was the youngest of four, including his older sister Dolupo, and his older brothers, physician and AIDS activist Dr. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti and legendary Afrobeat musician, saxophonist, bandleader and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti. He is also the cousin of author Wole Soyinka.

Beko attended Abeokuta Grammar School, Coventry Technical College and Manchester University where he became a physician. After obtaining his degree, Beko returned to Nigeria in 1963 and joined a children’s hospital and persuaded his colleagues that everyone in Nigeria deserves medical care. He also worked in multiple hospitals until he established his own private practice.

In 1977, Beko came into prominence when soldiers under orders of Olusegun Obasanjo’s military government attacked Beko and his brother Fela Kuti, along with others in Fela’s compound, Kalakuta Republic. His mother Funmilayo was also attacked and thrown out of a two story window, and would eventually die from her injuries. Soon, Beko, who was known as the man who would get Fela out of jail, became as radical as Fela.

Beko would become chairman of the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Medical Association and later its national deputy, campaigning on the lack of functioning mortuaries and drugs in hospitals.

In 1984, Fela spoke out against the reign of Muhammadu Buhari which led to him being jailed. Beko used his platform to get Fela, along with other political prisoners, released. 

Unfortunately for Beko, he was jailed, but was released in 1985, when Buhari was overthrown by General Ibrahim Babangida. In the early 1990s, Beko also helped form the Campaign for Democracy, Nigeria’s first human rights organization. In 1993, the organization opposed the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha, and in 1995, Beko was sentenced to life imprisonment for bringing attention to the mock trial of Obasanjo to the world. The sentence was reduced to 15 years and Amnesty International adopted Beko as a prisoner of conscience.

After the death of Abacha in 1998, Beko was released from prison and continued his activism. Beko was also a fellow of the West African College of Physicians and Surgeons, was a leading figure in the British Commonwealth’s human rights committee, was the chair for the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights and was executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance. He would continue his work, until his death on February 10, 2006, from Lung Cancer. Beko was known to be a heavy smoker, and being imprisoned affected his health. He was survived by his wife, Bosede, his three daughters and his son, Enitan.

In 2010, the state honored Beko with a statue and a park, named after him. Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti will be remembered, not only for his opposition to abuse and dictatorship in Nigeria, but for his contribution to a modern commitment to human rights with the Commonwealth, and for being one of the most consistent, staunch and fearless human rights campaigners in Africa.

There it is. Another list of some well known political prisoners and freedom fighters to come out of Nigeria. Like I said in last month’s August blog, there’s still many more that aren’t recognized, so I wanted to make sure that more are recognized. Of course, there are many more that have not just sacrificed to liberate Nigeria, but the many more who sacrificed lives and careers to fight for and liberate Africa. Hopefully, this continues to be a call to action this Black August and it inspires you to continue to study, train, fast and resist.