And he had the distinction of having held out against all odds for 15 months in the face of furious onslaughts by federal troops. Now in her 80s, Okororie is one of the millions of civilians who lived in what was then Biafra a secessionist state carved out from Nigerias southeast in 1967. Most of the officers were students or educated civilians drafted into the Biafran Army and given a few days of training and poor military gear. Biafran War | Biafran.org The Easterners felt alienated from the Nigerian government which was dominated by the Northerners. Early inventory included fourWorld War IIAmerican bombers: twoB-25 Mitchells, twoB-26 Invaders(Douglas A-26) (one piloted by Zumbach),[37]a converted DouglasDC-3[38]and one Britishde Havilland Dove. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. When the university was reopened a few months after the war ended, Mr Ago returned to UNN, eventually graduating with a degree in plant and soil science. January 15, 1966: A group of army majors, led by Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna, execute Nigeria's first military coup which ended the First Republic. Mr Ago looked forward to these visits, and joined the crowd who gathered at the university's Freedom Square. In August 1967 Biafran troops crossed the Niger, seized Benin City, and were well on their way to Lagos before they were checked at Ore, a small town in Western state (now Ondo state). A high ranking military officer called Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led the breakaway republic. This was because troops of 62 Brigade who were to clear the right half of the town, were yet to arrive. [3] A special guerrilla unit, the Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighters, was established: designed to emulate the Viet Cong, they targeted Nigerian supply lines, forcing them to shift resources to internal security efforts. This exceptionally good Biafran Battalion was under the command of Major Archibong, one of the bravest officers I ever met. Ojukwu says in the letter: "Your role in the . [60][61]On 23December 2015, Kanu was detained and charged with charges that amounting to treason against the Nigerian state. 2023 The Sun Nigeria All Right Reserved. Now 50 years since the end of the war, some are still clamoring for the return of the republic. Subsequently, the Biafran Commander-in-Chief posted him to Army Headquarters as Chief of Operations under Madiebo, away from field operations. His uncle, who was too old to flee town, was murdered, he says. War-exposed men marry later and have fewer children. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000. ", Felix Nwankwo Oragwu and others helped develop some of the weapons that Biafran soldiers used, "You were forced to fraternise with your people more than any time before", The plight of Biafrans gained support among activists around the world, including in London, where this protest was held in 1968, Ojukwu was given a full Nigerian military burial in March 2012, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Adizua also got his old job back at NEPA and was paid his full salary for the years he was absent during the war. [44], In 2010, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Nigeria at Nsukka showed that Igbos born in Biafra during the years of the famine were of higher risk of suffering from obesity, hypertension and impaired glucose metabolism compared to controls born a short period after the famine had ended in the early 1970s. You must clear the enemy from Obinze in 24 hours or submit your resignation from the army.". Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve. Biafran soldiers advance towards a Nigerian army position in June 1968. [6] After the surrender of Biafra, some Igbos who had fled the conflict returned to their properties but were unable to claim them back from new occupants. appreciated. But his family was delighted to see that the son and brother they assumed dead was alive. "I didn't want anybody to disgrace him.". ", Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, pictured here in June 1968, was a charismatic figure, Nigerian troops seen in one of Biafra's main cities, Port Harcourt, in 1968 after fierce fighting, Hunger caused the deaths of many people during the conflict, When the war started, there was not a single weapon anywhere throughout Biafra. Amilitary coup occurredduring which a mixed but predominantly Igbo group of army officers assassinated 30political leaders, including Nigerias Prime Minister, SirAbubakar Tafawa Balewa, and the Northern premier, SirAhmadu Bello. The Nigerian Civil War (1967- 1970), was an ethnic and political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the South-eastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed republic of Biafra. The government has nothing to gain by reminding Nigerians that secession happened before and can be attempted again. During Nigeria's civil war, he was a young officer in the Biafran army. Nigerias initial efforts were unsuccessful; the Biafrans successfully launched their own offensive, occupying areas in themid-Western Regionin August1967. A Warner Bros. Get the hottest stories from the largest news site in Nigeria, BREAKING: Photos emerge as president-elect Tinubus ADC assumes duty, "She no need wahala": Nigerian bride uses her 4 sisters as asoebi, ignores girls, lovely wedding video trends, Asoebi fashion: 2 curvy women in gorgeous green ensembles wow netizen, 10th NAssembly: Northern senators-elect reveals zone that should produce next senate president, Disquiet as Nigerians trapped at Sudan-Egypt border send SOS, buses stop halfway, "You have dubious intentions": Diaspora group cautions NDDC chairman Ms Lauretta Onochie, Senate presidency: Northwest political group insists on Sen. 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[7] Its early inventory included two B-25 Mitchells, two B-26 Invaders, (one piloted by Polish World War II ace Jan Zumbach, known also as John Brown),[8] a converted DC-3 and one Dove. "Nigeria was programmed by the British colonial authorities not to participate in production and manufacture of global technologies," he wrote in the book. Biafra was short on ammunition, its people were desperate for food, and its leaders controlled only one-sixth of the territory that had formed the Biafran republic in 1967. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Some Europeans served the Biafran cause: German born Rolf Steiner was a lieutenant colonel assigned to the 4th Commando Brigade, and Welshman Taffy Williams served as a Major throughout the conflict. In 1945 an ethnic riot[17]flared up inJosin which Hausa-Fulani people targeted Igbo people and left many dead and wounded. Biafra at 50: The war that changed Nigeria, 'We fought for Biafra' Video, 00:01:13'We fought for Biafra', 1969: Nigeria bans Red Cross aid to Biafra, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended. After the war, bank accounts owned by Biafrans were seized and a Nigerian panel resolved to give every Igbo person with an account only 20 pounds. Ogbugo Kalu, a retired military officer who passed away in February 2004, served in both the Nigerian Army and the Biafran Army. These doctors, led by Kouchner, concluded that a new aid organisation was needed that would ignore political/religious boundaries and prioritise the welfare of victims. [23], In January1967, the military leaders Gowon,Chukwuemeka Ojukwuand senior police officials of each region met inAburi, Ghana and agreed on a less centralized union of regions. While the UK backed Nigeria, France was the most prominent supporter of Biafra. Some women on the trail were raped and killed by soldiers, while others died in bombing raids. It mainly operated in the Niger Delta and along the Niger River.[10]. The civil war in Oguta and other areas in Biafra was life-changing. These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots. To: Tactical Army Headquarters. Its inhabitants were mostlyIgbo, who led the independence movement due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. Chief Anthony Enahoro, right, head of the Nigerian delegation, at the opening session of the Nigerian-Biafra peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on August 6, 1968. Ogbugo Kalu. He retired as a Lt Col in the Nigerian Army around 1985 and later became chairman of the National Population Commission, Abuja. In Nigeria and its surrounding region, long-standing regional stressesethnic competitiveness, educational inequality, and economic imbalance being the most prominentagain came to the fore in a controversial census during 196263. In May 1969, commandos of the Biafran army captured oil wells in Kwale. Fifty years after the Biafran conflict, Nigeria is still battling to maintain its unity, with various groups, not just the Igbo, calling for the restructuring of Africa's most populous state. He was a physics lecturer at UNN when the civil war began. "The war gave the opportunity to reject the colonial design.". Nevertheless, the Igbo faced some devastating consequences, particularly economically as the Biafran currency that people had accumulated became worthless. And they were glad that he had turned up with food. It mainly operated in theNiger River deltaand along theNiger River. Within weeks the conflict had escalated into a full-scale civil war. Following independence, Nigeria was demarcated primarily along ethnic lines:HausaandFulanimajority in the north,Yorubamajority in the West, andIgbomajority in the East.[16]. July 31: France voices support for Ojukwu. Three major rivers flow from Biafra into the Gulf of Guinea: theImo River, theCross Riverand theNiger River.[30]. Page not found Instagram [9]In 1953 a similar riot occurred inKanolater. The surrender was facilitated by the Biafran Vice President and Chief of General Staff, Major General Philip Effiong, who assumed leadership of the Republic of Biafra after the original President, Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, fled to Ivory Coast. Nigeria became an independent country on October 1, 1960. A newspaper article describes the event: At Jos in 1945, a sudden and savage attack by Northerners took the Easterners completely by surprise, and before the situation could be brought under control, the bodies of Eastern women, men, and children littered the streets and their property worth thousands of pounds reduced to shambles[17], Three hundred Igbo people died in the Jos riot. [13] In his personal writings from his travels, a Rev. He also saw action in the Port Harcourt sector and ultimately rose to the rank of Colonel in the Nigerian Army, he retired in the 1980s. Nweke. Asked whether she harboured any resentment towards them, the businesswoman shook her head. A retired general of the Biafran Army presents a post-mortem account of the events of the Nigerian civil war, 1966-70. [6], The Biafrans set up a small, yet effective air force. In a national broadcast, he said the decision was based on the belief that justice must at all times be tempered with mercy. They feel aggrieved that the Nigerian government has not adequately addressed the civil war and its aftermath.
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