The story I was told about this incident was that Wole, fed up with the federal government's unsuccessful treatment of the Biafra issue, had traveled to secessionist Biafra in an attempt to appeal for a cease-fire to the hostilities. He planned to set up an antiwar delegation made up of intellectuals, artists and writers from both sides of the conflict and from around the world to achieve his aim. When he returned to Nigeria the authorities arrested him and accused him of assisting Biafra in the purchase of weapons of war. There was no evidence to corroborate their case and Wole was imprisoned without bail. Later to justify holding him without evidence, the federal government accused Wole of being a Biafran agent or spy, trumped up charges that he categorically denied


There was great concern for Wole's health and safety as time went on. For many of the months he was in prison, he was in solitary confinement and moved from one prison to another. Most of us in Biafra were appalled. PEN international and many major writers of the time-Norman Mailer comes to mind- led a vigorous protest on his behalf, but he was not released until close to the very end of the war.

Achebe Chinua

There was a country

Penguin books

Pgs 109, 110.

He remained in jail for twenty two months. Solitary confinement.

That's why yoruba muslims hate. He wanted Biafra to carry all the crude oil and make us hungry in oshogbo.