Mr. Godwin Boyo was an accomplished lawyer and polemicist. He carried himself with great self-assurance and dressed to the hilt, often donning a bow tie. He was a man of affairs and curiously was appointed a Commissioner when Biafra occupied the midwest for six weeks from August 9 1967 to October of that same year.
After liberation, Ogbemudia became Governor and set up what was called a Rebel Atrocities Commission headed by the famous Justice Omoh-Eboh. Its remit was to probe damage done to people and resources by the rebels during the occupation. The Commission sat daily at the present House of Assembly on ring road in Benin. I had just finished my Higher School from St Patrick’s College Asaba and, as one who had vague intimations of a career in law I was among those who went to watch the extremely compelling proceedings. The day of Mr. Boyo’s appearance was a special draw! Dr. Mudiaga Odje was lead Counsel while Mr. E k. Clark was junior counsel to the Tribunal.
Mr. Boyo wearing a luminous bow tie was represented by his own wife. There was a murmur of concern from Justice Omoh Eboh when after Mrs. Boyo stood up and called her client, Mr. Boyo responded ” yes darling” in the sweetest bedroom voice. An outraged Omoh Eboh asked in fury “What did I hear?” It was a deliberate taunt from Mr. Boyo but he back-heeled explaining with great guile that he had said “My Lord”.
The proceedings contained many high points and at no stage did Mr. Boyo indicate a sense of surrender or guilt. At a point Mr. Boyo was asked what his reaction would be if he was asked to refund the money he was paid as salary during the period of the occupation of the midwest by Biafra. Mr. Boyo argued valiantly that he would refund his salary only if all the civil servants and policemen who worked and got paid refund their pay.
He dropped a howler, when he insisted that he would refund his salary if Judges including Justice Omoh Eboh who sat during the occupation also refund their earnings. Justice Omoh Eboh was incandescent but Mr. Boyo, a figure of courage, kept on and said he heard that Justice Omoh Eboh sat in Ubiaja during the period of the occupation. There was much uproar as Mr. Boyo insisted that funds from which he was paid was owned by the Federal govt and not by the Biafran occupation.
I heard in that Tribunal for the first time and from Mr. Boyo that there is a difference between possession and ownership.
Not much came out of the work of the Tribunal but in my teenage imagination, Mr. Godwin Boyo was certainly one of the heroes of the experience.
Predictably he enjoyed a busy practice and a huge reputation in the world of jurisprudence. I am glad to be reminded of his useful contributions and again of what might have been, had I followed my infatuation with the wig to the end. May his soul rest in peace.
Dele Olowu
