The son of former Nigerian military head of state Yakubu
Gowon is due to return to Nigeria after spending 22 years
in a US prison after being convicted on drug-related
charges. It is believed Musa Gowon was released from the
Taft Correctional Facility Bakersfield, California, after US
President Barack Obama granted him pardon earlier in
November.
The Igbo Mandate Congress (IMC)- which advocates for the
Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria - has said it was arranging a
welcome ceremony. The date of Gowon's arrival has not yet
been disclosed. He is currently being held at a deportation
centre in the US.
Who is Musa Gowon?
According to the IMC, Gowon was born in 1969 after his
father had started a relationship with an Igbo woman, late
Edith Ike-Okongwu.
The relationship allegedly ended during the Nigerian civil
war (1967-1970) - also known as the Biafran war - as
Okongwu disagreed with Yakubu Gowon - then head of
state - over the role of the Nigerian army in the war. The
army has been accused of deliberately bombing Biafran
civilians and imposing a blockade that resulted in the death
of hundreds of thousands of civilians due to lack of food
and medicine.
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After the war, Okongwu emigrated with her son to the US.
She later returned to Nigeria, while Musa remained in the US
where he joined a Colombian drug cartel. He was arrested
and sentenced to 40 years in jail in 1992, at the age of 23.
Musa was said to have lived a flamboyant lifestyle until he
was arrested on November 18, 1992 aged 23, prosecuted and
given 40-year jail sentence the following year.
U.S. President Obama last month granted him state pardon
after he had spent 22 years in prison. He is now in the
custody of U.S. Immigration booked for deportation to
Nigeria anytime from now
IMC thanked Obama for the pardon: "Igbo Mandate
Congress also expresses gratitude to the United States
President Barrack Obama for the pardon granted Musa
Ngonadi Gowon in the spirit of reconciliation and demand
good treatment of this man born under the contradictions
of love, hate and an unnecessary civil war."
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Gowon created a Facebook account in 2013 where he
routinely wrote messages thanking family and friends for
his support. in March 2015, he wrote: "To all my family and
friends. I recently read all your lovely birthday messages
to me, and I was overjoyed at the beautiful and kind words
of encouragement sent to me. I hear you all and
unfortunately I can't respond directly to everyone... But in
due time we shall all see again, by the grace of God. Thank
you once more for the love and support and I hold you all in
a special part of my heart. God bless."
After being overthrown in 1975, Gowon's father moved to
the UK, where he obtained a PhD at Warwick University in
1983. He returned to Nigeria that same year after being
pardoned by the then president Shehu Shagari for his
alleged role in the 1976 coup d'etat in Nigeria. Gowon's
father still lives in
Gowon is due to return to Nigeria after spending 22 years
in a US prison after being convicted on drug-related
charges. It is believed Musa Gowon was released from the
Taft Correctional Facility Bakersfield, California, after US
President Barack Obama granted him pardon earlier in
November.
The Igbo Mandate Congress (IMC)- which advocates for the
Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria - has said it was arranging a
welcome ceremony. The date of Gowon's arrival has not yet
been disclosed. He is currently being held at a deportation
centre in the US.
Who is Musa Gowon?
According to the IMC, Gowon was born in 1969 after his
father had started a relationship with an Igbo woman, late
Edith Ike-Okongwu.
The relationship allegedly ended during the Nigerian civil
war (1967-1970) - also known as the Biafran war - as
Okongwu disagreed with Yakubu Gowon - then head of
state - over the role of the Nigerian army in the war. The
army has been accused of deliberately bombing Biafran
civilians and imposing a blockade that resulted in the death
of hundreds of thousands of civilians due to lack of food
and medicine.
Why advertise with us
After the war, Okongwu emigrated with her son to the US.
She later returned to Nigeria, while Musa remained in the US
where he joined a Colombian drug cartel. He was arrested
and sentenced to 40 years in jail in 1992, at the age of 23.
Musa was said to have lived a flamboyant lifestyle until he
was arrested on November 18, 1992 aged 23, prosecuted and
given 40-year jail sentence the following year.
U.S. President Obama last month granted him state pardon
after he had spent 22 years in prison. He is now in the
custody of U.S. Immigration booked for deportation to
Nigeria anytime from now
IMC thanked Obama for the pardon: "Igbo Mandate
Congress also expresses gratitude to the United States
President Barrack Obama for the pardon granted Musa
Ngonadi Gowon in the spirit of reconciliation and demand
good treatment of this man born under the contradictions
of love, hate and an unnecessary civil war."
Why advertise with us
Gowon created a Facebook account in 2013 where he
routinely wrote messages thanking family and friends for
his support. in March 2015, he wrote: "To all my family and
friends. I recently read all your lovely birthday messages
to me, and I was overjoyed at the beautiful and kind words
of encouragement sent to me. I hear you all and
unfortunately I can't respond directly to everyone... But in
due time we shall all see again, by the grace of God. Thank
you once more for the love and support and I hold you all in
a special part of my heart. God bless."
After being overthrown in 1975, Gowon's father moved to
the UK, where he obtained a PhD at Warwick University in
1983. He returned to Nigeria that same year after being
pardoned by the then president Shehu Shagari for his
alleged role in the 1976 coup d'etat in Nigeria. Gowon's
father still lives in
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