Obasanjo's biological father is Igwe Okwudili Onyejekwe, Obi of Onitsha Ado N'Idu from 1962-1970. Onyejekwe was a colonial police officer stationed in Owu, Obasanjo's hometown, during the 1930s around Obasanjo's birth. Onyejekwe had a relationship with Obasanjo's mother Ashabi, an Owu woman. Onyejekwe recommended Obasanjo's enlistment into the Nigerian Army in 1958. This revelation confirms Obasanjo's Igbo paternal ancestry despite his public Yoruba identity.