In a dramatic and emotional outpouring, Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has reportedly cried out from his hospital bed in London, expressing deep sorrow and regret over the tragic events of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafra War.
Sources close to the former leader revealed that the 91-year-old ex-military ruler broke down in tears, stating that life had become a heavy burden and that even death has refused to come, leaving him to be haunted by the memories of the war’s atrocities.
“I am not enjoying life, yet death has refused to come. The cries of the Biafran people still haunt my dreams,” Gowon was quoted as saying.
Gowon, who led Nigeria through one of its darkest chapters between 1967 and 1970, reportedly admitted to carrying the emotional weight of the war for decades. According to those present, the retired general openly wept as he described being haunted by the faces of innocent children and mothers who perished during the conflict.
“I see their faces every night… the children, the mothers, they never left my mind,” he reportedly sobbed, overcome with emotion.
In what some observers are calling a long-overdue reckoning, Gowon allegedly begged the Igbo people for forgiveness, acknowledging that the decisions made during the war — and the lives lost — remain a permanent scar on his conscience.
Though official statements from Gowon’s family or aides have not yet been released, the emotional confession, if verified, marks a historic and potentially healing moment in Nigeria’s post-war reconciliation efforts.
The Nigerian Civil War, which lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970, left an estimated over 2 million people dead, primarily from starvation and conflict in the southeastern region, predominantly populated by the Igbo ethnic group.
Gowon’s latest statement could ignite fresh conversations around national unity, historical accountability, and the long-standing wounds that still divide Nigeria decades after the war’s end.
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Reporting by Agnes Ekebuike Editor, Naija247news in Lagos, Nigeria.
