BIAFRA : Fola Oyewole: My link with first coup, why I fought on Biafran side

Lt. Col. Oyewole. Photo Credit Idowu Ogunleye

Lt. Col. Fola Oyewole, 77 (at the time we interviewed him for publication on this platform on Saturday, 9 January, 2016), as  a Nigerian Military Officer of the Yoruba stock, fought on the side of Biafra during the civil war. Before then, he was, because of the first coup 54 years ago, imprisoned in Lagos and in Enugu but was released by Lt Col Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Oyewole wrote his own war account entitled “Reluctant Rebel”, which joined other civil war narratives like ‘The Biafra Story’ (1969) by Frederick Forsyth, ‘Why We Struck’ (1981) by Adewale Ademoyega, ‘Sunset In Biafra’ (1975) by Elechi Amadi, ‘The Nigerian Revolution And the Biafran War’ (1980) by Alexander Madiebo among others.

In this interview with Ademola Adegbamigbe and Femi Anjorin, the retired army officer narrated what happened during the first coup, his participation in it and why he, despite being Yoruba, fought on the side of Biafra like other non Igbo officers like Lt Col. Victor Banjo, Major Wale Ademoyega and others.