Veteran Nollywood Actor Nkem Owoh Recounts His Brother's Execution Under Ex President Buhari’s Military Regime

Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh has revealed that the execution of his older brother, Bartholomew Owoh, during the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari, remains one of the most heartbreaking experiences of his life.

Bartholomew was one of three young Nigerians executed by firing squad on April 10, 1985, for drug-related offences. The others were Lawal Ojuolape and Bernard Ogedengbe. At the time the offences were committed, they were not punishable by death. However, the regime retroactively applied a new decree, a move that has long drawn criticism for its moral and legal implications.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s The Interview, aired on Thursday, April 10, 2025, Owoh recounted the anguish he felt upon learning of his brother’s execution.

“I was working with Anambra Television then, and I was so furious, shedding tears as I walked through the corridors,” he recalled emotionally.

What pained him the most, Owoh said, was the regime’s decision to shift the effective date of the decree to include offences committed before it came into effect.

“So for them to backdate it to involve or include people who did not commit the offence within their own regime, but years back, I was very bitter.” 

“Why would it be shifted back to include people who didn’t commit the offence before the decree?” He questionef the legality and humanity of such a decision, which ultimately cost his brother and others their lives.