Veteran Nollywood actor Fabian Adibe claims he was imprisoned for 30 months for his involvement in the Nigerian civil war with Biafra soldiers.
The actor told BBC Igbo about how the 1966 pogrom inspired him to join the Ojukwu Special Task Force.
Adibe stated that he was already acting but decided to join the army when a pregnant mother was murdered in broad daylight.
He claimed he went through rigorous training before his unit was sent to Ibadan for an explosives operation.
They were all caught and imprisoned in Lagos for 30 months, according to the actor, until the civil war concluded in 1970.
“The coup of 1966 occurred. The north believed that the coup plotters were targeting them, therefore they began killing Igbos in retaliation, causing an exodus from the region.
“1966 coup happened. The north felt that the coup plotters had them in mind, hence, they started killing Igbos in vengeance, leading to an exodus from the north back to the east, and the three-year war that followed,” he said.
I went to war with Odumegwu Ojukwu’s task force. We were caught in Ibadan and put in the maximum security prison in Lagos. I was there for 30 months. It started when a pregnant woman was killed and her baby ripped out.
She was put on the train and we went there to see for yourselves. It hurt the Igbo. If someone offended you and you killed both their parents and their kid for it, you shouldn’t extend hostility to the entire people of their tribe.
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I entered my name to join the army because the agric minister made it open. We were taken to join the Ojukwu Special Task Force and trained, climbing mountains, getting immersed in water, and flying on an aircraft.
“We were given explosives to cut off the route of the federal soldiers, including rails and bridges. On getting to Ibadan, we didn’t know how the police and army learned of our plans. We were arrested and photographed.
“No one asked what our mission was. We were imprisoned all through the war. 1970 was when we were released.”
Fabian Adibe began his acting career in 1987 in the acclaimed Nigerian TV series, “Things fall apart.”
He played the role of Ogbuefi Uzowulu and acted alongside Pete Edochie. His other co-actors in the series, Justus Esiri, and Sam Loco Efe, in the series are now deceased.
Mr. Adibe featured in the Nollywood classic, ‘‘Living in Bondage,” released in 1993. The movie further launched him into the limelight.
He featured in over 300 movies, some of which include “Slave Warrior” (2012), “White Kingdom 2” (2014), and “Fathers” (2014).
The veteran actor also featured in foreign movies, including “Soweto,” a story about the struggle in South Africa, and “Mr. Johnson,” a Hollywood film.
His last known movie roles were in “Sister My Love,” released in 2006, and “Slave Warrior,” released the following year.
The actor was a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority until he was retrenched on May 25, 1984.
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