NEEDED IN NIGERIAN CASES .
LAGOS, Nigeria -- The political turmoil here, following government efforts to intimidate political opposition and repress the revolutionary left; has*made it difficult to organize an effective defense for the defendants in what has become known abroad as the Victor Allen case, It is to be hoped that an effective defense committee can be set up: abroad ,. ‘particularly to.collect needed funds, Those involved are: oe Jil.
Jjonas Abam, 57, general secretary of the Nigerian Stevedores and Dockworkers union. After living in England, where he was known in socialist circles, he returned in 1959 to Nigeria. He was one of the main figures in tne organization of the Socialist Labour party in 1960. Later he became the national organizer of the Revolutionary Socialist Workers party, a member of the central committee of the Nigerian Labour party and secretary of a committee in charge of relations with the unions,
Olushegun Adebayo, 34, a: high-school teacher ‘who was black= listed a year and a half ago because of his political views. He is a member. of the Central Committee’ of the Revolutionary Socialist Workers *. party ‘and a member: of. the secretariat of the Nigerian Labour party. =~
Sidi Khayam, 35. After living in England, he returned to. Nigeria in 1958. He is secretary of the National Council of Dockworkers ‘and Seamen, and a founder of the Nigerian Labour party. He was the main founder of the Revolutionary Socialist Workers party.
Victor Allen, 41, a lecturer at the University of Leeds in England, who was in Nigeria gathering material for a book : on the labour movement in Africa. : re
They were arrested last June 30, following the general. strike
that shook Nigeria earlier in the month, and charged with conspiring between March 1 and June 10, 1964, to effect the overthrow of the Nigerian government by subversive means, drawing up plans for the same purpose and having in their possession a seditious publication setting out a scheme aimed at the realisation of this objectives. a
” Convicted november 10, “they were sentenced to one year in.
prison at hard labor. The victims are seeking an appeal which will probably be heard in February.
Another prominent case involves Baba Oluwide, 27. A student at the London School of Economics and at the Inner Temple, he returned to Africa without completing his studies. He was in Algeria for a time and then came back to Nigeria. He was one of the founders of the Socialist Workers and Farmers party, a member of the secretariat of the Nigerian Labour party, and first secretary of the youth wing of this party. .
His trial is scheduled to open January 14. He is charged with knowingly publishing false rumours on June 12 during the general strike with a view to disturbing the peace and causing disaffection among: the population, eocerc. In this. tmial, it will probably turn out that the real tssue will not be the alleged activities of Baba Oluwide, but his Marxist views and the programs of the organizations with which he is asso+ ciated. —