Nkem Owoh Recounts Emotional Pain Over Brother Execution Under Buhari Military Regime

Nkem Owoh Recounts Emotional Pain Over Brother Execution Under Buhari Military Regime

Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh has opened up about one of the most heartbreaking experiences of his life—the execution of his older brother, Bartholomew Owoh, during the military administration of General Muhammadu Buhari.

Bartholomew was among three young Nigerians—alongside Lawal Ojuolape and Bernard Ogedengbe—executed by firing squad on April 10, 1985, under Buhari’s regime. Their offences were drug-related, but not originally punishable by death at the time they were committed….READ MORE…

During an appearance on Arise Television’s The Interview, aired Thursday, April 10, 2025, Owoh emotionally recounted his devastation upon learning of his brother’s fate.

“I was working with Anambra Television then,” he said. “I was so overwhelmed with anger and sorrow that I found myself crying in the corridors at work.”

What particularly intensified his grief, he explained, was the regime’s decision to retroactively apply a new decree—effectively imposing a death sentence for crimes committed before the law took effect.

“One of the most painful aspects was that they amended the effective date of the decree,” Owoh said. “Under the military regime, laws could be introduced abruptly, and this particular one was backdated to include individuals who committed the offences prior to its implementation. That deeply embittered me.”

He further questioned the legality and morality of such a move, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives under a law that hadn’t existed when the crimes were committed.

“Why alter the timeline of a law to punish people retroactively? It’s unjust to apply a law to actions that occurred before it was even enacted,” he lamented.

The actor’s comments have reignited public discourse on the use of retroactive justice during Nigeria’s military regimes and the human impact of such decisions.