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Story of how Herbert Macaulay went to jail two different times
Macaulay is often described as the father of Nigerian nationalism and founder of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) which is the first ever political party in the country.
First Imprisonment (1913)
In July 1913, Macaulay was convicted of “intent to defraud” in a controversial case involving the estate of his decëased client, Mary Franklin. He had borrowed funds from the estate to settle its debts but was prosecuted by a tenant with whom he had a personal grudge. Historians, including Patrick Dele-Cole, argue the trial was politically motivated and the evidence suggests persecut!on rather than genuine fraüd. Despite this, he received an unusually severe sentence of two years in prison, which barred him from ever holding public office. This event marked a low point, as Macaulay had resigned from colonial civil service in 1898 and was struggling financially with his private surveying practice.
SECOND IMPRISONMENT (1928)
By the 1920s, Macaulay had become a fïerce critic of colonial policies through his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News, which he founded in 1925. In 1928, amid tensïons over the deposition of Oba Eshugbayi Eleko of Lagos, the paper published a rumour (known as the “Gunpowder Plot”) alleging that British authorities planned to assāssïnate the oba by blowing up his vehicle upon his return from exile. The colonial government charged Macaulay with sedition for incïting unrëst. He was convïcted and sentenced to six months in Broad Street Prison with hard labour, without the option of a fine. This politically charged case further solidified his reputation as a nationalist hero.
These imprisonments, however, did not deter Macaulay; after his release from the second term, he continued advocating for Nigerian self-rule, co-founding the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) in 1944. He passed away in 1946, fourteen years before Nigeria’s independence.
Credit: Ethnic African Stories
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