Obafemi Awolowo

The first time I ever met Mr. John Lynn was about half past ten o’clock on the night of 18 September 1962. He entered the sitting room at 7 Bell Avenue as if he was in a great hurry, as indeed it turned out he was. He was accompanied by a Nigerian. He was all smiles-urbane and cordial. He introduced himself, and then the Nigerian whom he described as an Inspector of Police.

My wife and I had just finished our dinner, and as usual were chatting over current events. Our eating habit then was to have lunch at about 2p.m and dinner between 8 and 10p.m. No breakfast. It was at Ikoyi prison I changed between 8 and 9a.m. and dinner between 5 and 6p.m. My wife also cultivated this habit when I wrote from prison to tell her of its beneficial effects on my health.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo coming out of the Black Maria (A black prison van used to transport prisoners) on his way to the High Court in Lagos to answer criminal charges brought against him by the Tafawa Balewa government on the 1st day of November 1962 for (1) Treasonable Felony, (2) Conspiracy to commit a felony and (3) Conspiracy to effect an unlawful purpose.

When Mr. Lynn breezed into the sitting room with his companion, we offered them chairs at the dinning table. He had hardly taken his seat, when he opened his mouth and declared, ‘Chief, I have a warrant to search your house and compound at Ikenne.’

‘When? I asked.

‘I am on my way there now, and I have called to let you know.’

‘Why tonight and not tomorrow? It is almost eleven o’clock now.’

‘It has to be tonight! he insisted with finality. ‘Would you like to come with us?

‘Me? No! Not at this hour of the night!

Hannah and Obafemi Awolowo

‘ I will go with them,’my wife offered.

I turned to her, and said in a soft tone but with unmistakable firmness, ‘You are doing nothing of the kind! To follow two strangers-and policeman at that-at this unholy hour, when a state of emergency is on? No! You are certainly not going anywhere with them!’

‘Is there anyone there at Ikenne to attend to us and show us round the premises?

‘Yes! My son, Oluwole Awolowo lives there, and Salami, one of my stewards, is there too. The compound is an open place more or less a public place. There is no problem in getting access to it. As for the house, Wole will show you round.

At this juncture, I went upstairs to collect the key to my wardrobe. I also sent for my Secretary Mr. Biodun Falade, to come to the dinning-room. On my return, I handed the key of my wardrobe to Mr. Lynn, and said, ‘This key opens my wardrobe. Inside the wardrobe you will find other keys which open all the other locked receptacles in the house.

‘ I will go with them,’my wife offered.

I turned to her, and said in a soft tone but with unmistakable firmness, ‘You are doing nothing of the kind! To follow two strangers-and policeman at that-at this unholy hour, when a state of emergency is on? No! You are certainly not going anywhere with them!’

‘Thank you very much! he said with a beaming smile, and an apparent feeling of triumph.

In the meantime, my wife had gone to her room upstairs to fetch the keys to her wardrobes, which were the only things she locked in the house. She handed them to Mr. Lynn.

– Chief Obafemi Awolowo in My March Through Prison, Page 8-9.