The truth about that sensitive subject is that cases of ‘abandoned property’ was an issue that erupted amongst the ethnic nationalities that were themselves consanguineously linked to the Igbos in and around Port Harcourt and in around the Benue area (less prominent in the Benue area, and more prominent in the Rivers area).
After the civil war, ethnicities who speak a language that is almost identical to Igbo took their property as abandoned property. But not a single Yoruba ‘saboteur’ did.
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In Lagos, as well as the entire Western and Midwestern region property belonging to the Igbos were not seized by the Yoruba. Not at all. As a matter of fact, not only were the Igbo able to reclaim their houses in the Western and Midwestern Region after the war, many were also able to claim back rent for the period between 1967-1970.
An example of this is the case between the late Alex Ekwueme and Otunba Subomi Balogun. Although they were not really friends, per se, they lived close to each other. Just before the outbreak of the civil war, Alex Ekwueme left Lagos for the Eastern Region, like most prudent Igbos.
After the war, he returned to Lagos and, surprisingly, met his house in a renovated condition. While he was wondering what happened, his neighbour, Mr. Subomi Balogun, approached him and gave him his back rent in cash. These were the words that Mr. Balogun spoke to Mr. Ekwueme on that day in 1970:
“I renovated your house, rented it out and this is the rent we collected.”
Otunba Balogun was still alive into recently, and gave this account himself. The children of Alex Ekwueme are still alive. This account can be confirmed from eyewitnesses.
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