In 1976, Nigerian freelance journalist Sam Ogun publicly admitted that he had worked as a spy for the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for nearly a decade. He made the confession in an interview with DRUM magazine, shedding light on how foreign intelligence agencies operated in Nigeria during the Cold War.
Here is a clear breakdown of his story:
How It Started
Sam Ogun’s involvement began in the early 1960s, when he worked as an “information officer” for the American Motion Picture Export Company. At the time, the job appeared harmless and media-related.
An American film distributor known as Jack paid him to write reviews of foreign films. These reviews were published in Nigerian newspapers and then forwarded to New York. This arrangement quietly placed Ogun on a foreign payroll, without him fully understanding the larger intelligence network behind it.
Recruitment into Intelligence Work
In 1965, Ogun was introduced to a new handler named Andrew, who worked in the political section of the US Embassy in Lagos. Their meetings took place at discreet locations in Victoria Island and Lagos Island.
Andrew began assigning Ogun intelligence-gathering tasks, including:
Monitoring activities of the University of Lagos Students’ Union
Photographing foreign diplomats and their Nigerian contacts
Attending public lectures and secretly recording speeches
Realisation He Was a Spy
Ogun said he only realised the true nature of his work in 1968, when he was asked to sign an oath of secrecy pledging never to reveal classified information about the US government.
He was then formally trained in espionage techniques, including the use of:
A concealed camera
A pocket-sized tape recorder designed specifically for spying
Who He Spied On
According to his confession, his surveillance targets included:
Foreign diplomats
Trade union leaders
Journalists
Civil servants
Students
As suspicion grew, colleagues accused him of working for multiple intelligence agencies, including the CIA, MI5, and the KGB. Ogun denied these allegations at the time.
Why He Confessed
After retiring from espionage work, Sam Ogun decided to come clean. He said he confessed because he eventually realised what he described as “the evil the CIA had been doing to Africa.”
His account remains one of the most striking firsthand revelations of Cold War-era intelligence operations involving Nigeria.
Source: DRUM magazine, as summarised by Archivi
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.