Despite the Biafran Army being poorly trained and lack modern weapons, they're still determined to fight. Muslim officers named a General from a small ethnic group (the Angas) in central Nigeria, General Yakubu "Jack" Gowon, as the head of the Federal Military Government (FMG). This led to months of massacres against the Igbo living in the north. Ms Nwanunobi joined the Biafran ministry of foreign affairs as part of a handful of translators who worked directly with Ojukwu. [9][67], Another group is the Biafra Nations Youth League (BNYL), which has its members and followers mostly in the Niger Delta and Bakassi Peninsula, the group is led by Princewill Chimezie Richard (aka. This administration of the Nigerian federal government was widely perceived to be corrupt. The predominant language of Biafra wasIgbo. Emeritus Lecturer in the Modern History of Africa, University of Oxford; Emeritus Fellow of St. Antony's College, Oxford. Other nations, which did not give official recognition but provided support and assistance to Biafra, included France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Rhodesia, South Africa, and Vatican City. I wont subscribe to war today, because I saw war, he said. On October 1, 1963, Nigeria became a republic, with Azikiwe as its president, although, as prime minister, Balewa remained more politically powerful. Nigerian troops enter Port Harcourt after taking it from Biafrian forces in 1968. These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots. Initially, the final offensive was neutralised by Biafran troops. [36], The international humanitarian organisationMdecins Sans Frontiresoriginated in response to the suffering in Biafra. But survivors like Adizua are cautious about the possibility of another war. 2023 BBC. Updates? With the Nigerians forces gaining the upper hand in Calabar, Nsukka and later Onitsha sectors where he operated at different, times, he was branded a saboteur by the civilian populace, just like some senior officers in Biafra. 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. This led to a divisive and bitter war from 1967 to 1970. For most Nigerians, the war over the breakaway state of Biafra is generally regarded as an unfortunate episode best forgotten, but for the Igbo people who fought for secession, it remains a life-defining event. Ojukwu flees his enclave. Photographs of the military Obasanjo, Jallo, Bissalo, Gowon. Impacts vary with the age of exposure. Soon afterwards, the Biafran battalion captured Umuabayi, together with the enemy ammunition and food dump located there. Mr Oragwu wishes that the Igbo had paid less attention to the scramble for power at the centre, and instead distinguished their region by advancing the technological gains of the war. [49]It has two arms of government, the BiafraGovernment in Exileand the Biafra Shadow Government. Prince Obuka) and Ebuta Ogar Takon respectively, the Organisation also have a Chief of Staff who is a native of the Bakassi Peninsula, BNYL have also recorded a security clamp down in Bakassi Peninsula when soldiers of Operations Delta Safe apprehended Princewill in Ikang-Cameroon border area on 9November 2016 during an attempt to mobilise a protest in support of Kanus release, he was again rearrested by Nigeria Police Force in the same area on 16January 2018 along with 20 of their supporters. This was because troops of 62 Brigade who were to clear the right half of the town, were yet to arrive. . [7] It was commanded by Brigadier Hillary Njoku[8] and later Major General Alexander Madiebo.[9]. Commissioned officer ranks [ edit ] The rank insignia of commissioned officers . In the west the government had fallen apart in 1962, and a boycott of the federal election of December 1964 brought Nigeria to the brink of breakdown. 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. At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. The Deputy Leader, Ebuta Ogar Takon is an Ejagham native, half Nigerian and half Cameroon. 2023 The Sun Nigeria All Right Reserved. In the uncontrollable excitement of the chase, the Battalion cleared the entire town instead of clearing only the left side of it as was ordered. Recently, Anthony Okoro Eze who retired from the Nigerian Army as a Colonel passed on at the age of 80 years. But fearing for his safety, he decided not to return to his former location. In January 1966, some senior Nigerian army officers, mostly of the Igbo ethnic group, assassinated key politicians during a coup in the West African state. An early institution created by the Biafran government was the Bank of Biafra, accomplished under Decree No. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Former Nigerian Army Officer and Chief of Staff of the defunct Biafran Army, Alexander Madiebo, is dead. Subsequently, the Biafran Commander-in-Chief posted him to Army Headquarters as Chief of Operations under Madiebo, away from field operations. [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. Nigerias initial efforts were unsuccessful; the Biafrans successfully launched their own offensive, occupying areas in themid-Western Regionin August1967. 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. Mrs Nwanunobi spent much of the 1970s in Canada before returning to Nigeria in 1977, where she resumed work as a secondary school teacher. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armored civilian vessels armed with machine guns, or captured 6-pounder guns. On May 30, 1967, Ojukwu declared the secession of the three states of the Eastern region under the name of the Republic of Biafra, which Nigerias federal government interpreted as an act of rebellion. Commander for GOC. As with many other new African states, the borders of the country did not reflect earlier ethnic, cultural, religious, or political boundaries. Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. The Biafrans set up a small, yet effective air force. As a Biafran soldier, he commanded the Biafran 63 Brigade in the Owerri sector. Okororie wasnt affected by the monetary policy as she had taken out all her money from the bank at the start of the war and, thus, had Nigerian pounds to convert to the new Nigerian currency, the naira. A Nigerian artillery unit in Port Harcourt on May 19, 1968. During Nigeria's civil war, he was a young officer in the Biafran army. Col. Aniebo was also one of the Biafran soldiers in 1967. Not a single round of ammunition held while enemy pressure continues ceaselessly for the past 48 hours. Pregnant women were left behind by their husbands as they gave birth, she added. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. He spiked everybody up and we formed songs and were singing and enjoying ourselves.". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Njoku, a lawyer is a connoisseur of Biafran War Literature. Federal soldiers were advancing in full force and something had to be done. Following a UN-supervised referendum in 1961, the northern part of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons joined Nigerias Northern region, while in October the Southern Cameroons united with Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Enter Biafra is a channel that disseminates information about the right to self-determination of Biafrans intending to bring together revolutionary, activists, workers movements, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, lobby-groups under the need to pursue the struggle for the actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra and economic emancipation. [64], According to the South-East Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations, security forces under the directive of the federal government have killed 80members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and their supporters between 30August 2015 and 9February 2016 in arenewed clampdownon the campaign. 1966, led by Igbo junior Army officers, mostly majors and captains. After he was officially pardoned by the Nigerian government, he returned in 1982, with multitudes pouring onto the streets of his home state of Anambra to welcome him. After his release in 1967, he was asked to go into battle on the side of the Biafrans where he was promoted to the rank of a Biafran Lt.colonel but he got killed in an ambush. All rights reserved. These aircraft flew missions until January1970 and were flown byPortugueseex-military pilots. "The war was an incredible period," said 82-year-old Mrs Nwanunobi. A high ranking military officer called Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led the breakaway republic. [13] In his personal writings from his travels, a Rev. The final Biafran collapse began on December 24, 1969, when federal troops launched a significant offensive. Soldiers burnt houses and killed civilians the lake was filled with dead bodies, including those of white mercenaries, Adizua said. 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. [6], The Biafrans set up a small, yet effective air force. [51]Since August1999, protests have erupted in cities across Nigerias south-east. The ex-general died on Friday. In 2009, MASSOB leader Chief Uwazuruike launched an unrecognized Biafran International Passport and also launched a Biafra Plate Number in 2016 in response to persistent demand by some Biafran sympathizers in the diaspora and at home. Ogbugo Kalu. In the months preceding the war, Ojukwu often visited UNN, the only university in south-eastern Nigeria at the time, to meet with students and prepare them for secession. We were drafted into the war, given two days' training. Along other commands held, Kalu was made commander of the Biafran 14th division with a strict orders in a letter written to him by Odumegwu Ojukwu. [36], The Biafrans managed to set up a small yet effective air force. Nigerian Civil War, also called Nigerian-Biafran War, warbetweenNigerias federal government and the secessionist stateBiafrathat lasted from 1967 to 1970. They were coloured green, were able to carry six 68mm anti-armour rockets under each wing using simple sights. Jubilant Biafran soldiers celebrate on top of a destroyed Nigerian army armored personnel carrier. Although sabotage cannot be totally ruled out in a war situation, the political authorities could not admit that despite the gallant and brave efforts of Biafran troops in many battles, the simple truth was that the balance of ammunition tilted heavily in favour of the Nigerians with strong backing from Britain. Ogbugo Kalu, a retired military officer who passed away in February 2004, served in both the Nigerian Army and the Biafran Army. I wasnt angry towards the Nigerian soldiers. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armored civilian vessels armed with machine guns, or captured 6-pounder guns. "He had this incredible sense of humour. They were coloured green, were able to carry six 68mm anti-armour rockets under each wing using simple sights. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Its territory consisted of theEastern RegionofNigeria. Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, left, takes the oath of office shortly after a declaration of independence and the formation of the new state of Biafra on June 10, 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. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Evelyn Okororie had just returned home from the market in Nigerias Midwest region, when neighbors informed her that an airstrike had killed her mother, her niece and three of her children. This became law in the Abandoned Properties Act (28 September 1979). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "I think we would have done better if we had handled it with a little bit more intelligence," said Mr Ago. Here are list of Nigerian soldiers that pulled out to support Ojukwu's breakaway. To: Tactical Army Headquarters. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nigerian-civil-war. The operation was aimed at pushing the enemy at Nkwok as far back towards Opobo as possible and also threaten or take Opobo if possible. During an enemy counter attack at Umuabayi, our troops destroyed a Saladine and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. But English was more widely spoken in Biafra, so translators were needed whenever French officials visited Ojukwu. Nweke. In a national broadcast, he said the decision was based on the belief that justice must at all times be tempered with mercy. They were painted in green camouflage and armed with two Matra Type122 rocket pods, each being able to carry six 68mm SNEB anti-armour rockets under each wing and had SwedishWW2reflex sights from oldFFVS J 22s. [43], In their studySmallpox and its Eradication, Fenner and colleagues describe how vaccine supply shortages during the Biafrasmallpoxcampaign led to the development of the focal vaccination technique, later adopted worldwide by theWorld Health Organizationof theUnited Nations, which led to the early and cost-effective interruption of smallpox transmission inWest Africaand elsewhere. The federal government, dominated by Northern Nigeria, allowed the crisis to unfold with the intention of declaring a state of emergency and placing the Western Region under martial law. Within weeks the conflict had escalated into a full-scale civil war. Gowon was able, through his own personal magnetism, to reconcile the two sides so that the former Biafran states were integrated into Nigeria once again and were not blamed for the Nigerian Civil War. Aba falls on September 1 and Okigwe freed on . You must clear the enemy from Obinze in 24 hours or submit your resignation from the army.". It mainly operated in theNiger River deltaand along theNiger River. The scientist's wartime accomplishments had caught the attention of the Nigerian authorities and he was invited by the government to pioneer a special science and technology programme for the country. In 1945 an ethnic riot[17]flared up inJosin which Hausa-Fulani people targeted Igbo people and left many dead and wounded. [14] People in the region have described Biafra as the land directly adjacent to the Bight of Biafra and also an indigenous state, existing before European colonialism created such entities as Nigeria. [19]In January1966, the situation reached a breaking point. Colonel Godfrey Nebo was an exceptionally tenacious commander. She sold her items to both residents and Biafran soldiers. Eze was soon promoted to the rank of a Brigadier by the Commander-in-Chief, Ojukwu though he continued to have brushes with the political authorities till the end of the war. [60][61]On 23December 2015, Kanu was detained and charged with charges that amounting to treason against the Nigerian state. Col. (later Gen.) Yakubu Gowon came to power. After it ended, markets, schools, homes, and lives devastated by bombs and bullets had to be rebuilt. Okororie says she abandoned her clothing business in Port-Harcourt city, where she resided before the start of the war and fled with her seven children to Oguta as Nigerian soldiers advanced on the city in the Biafran territory. The currency of Biafra had been the Nigerian pound until the Bank of Biafra started printing out its own notes, the Biafran pound. The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War or the Nigerian-Biafran War, broke out between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the secessionist state of Biafra from July 6 1967 to January 15 1970. Mr Ago looked forward to these visits, and joined the crowd who gathered at the university's Freedom Square. He collected his portion from an allocation of raw rice to his unit, then set off towards the village of a relative, where he suspected his parents and siblings would be holed up. . They have three children, Andrew, Yvette and Chukwuma who are all married with children. [5], At the peak of Biafran military power, the Biafran Army was made of 5 divisions; numbered 11th, 12th, 13th (later renumbered 15th), 14th and 101st. The countrys northeast bordered theBenue Hillsand mountains that lead to Cameroon. He talks about his experience with international humanitarian law and the ICRC. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army and he retired in the mid-1990s. [42]During the crisis,Frenchmedical volunteers, in addition to Biafran health workers and hospitals, were subjected to attacks by the Nigerian army and witnessed civilians being murdered and starved by the blockading forces. "The Nigerians who were pursuing us were trained soldiers. Although quite a number of Nigerian Army officers left to support the Eastern Nigeria but shortly after the war they returned to the federal troops. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. It was Eze that received Madiebo from Kaduna at the Ikeja Airport, Lagos at 1500 hours on the 19th of June, 1966 and drove him in his private car to see the Head of State, Major General J.T.U. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Though he was much older than me, as a fellow Old Boy of Government College Umuahia, I knew him fairly well and interacted very closely with him in 2007 when he was to be honoured by the Lagos Branch of the Association at its Annual Dinner of which I was the chairman of the Dinner Committee under the presidency of C.N.C. Now, therefore, I, Lieutenant-Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, by virtue of the authority, and pursuant to the principles, recited above, do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region known as and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continental shelf and territorial waters shall henceforth be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of The Republic of Biafra. 0 likes, 0 comments - GOGAN TV (@gogantv) on Instagram: "The Indigenous People of Biafra has denied the claims by the Nigerian military that they invaded ." [54][55], The Nigerian federal government accuses MASSOB of violence; MASSOBs leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested in 2005 and was detained on treason charges. In 1968, Swedish pilot Carl Gustaf von Rosen suggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. Biafran War veterans remember the conflict 50 years on, "He was a gorgeous person," she said again and again. NEPA gave me back my job, said Adizua, adding that the national electricity company also paid his full salary for the years he was away. Ojukwu declared independence for the Republic of Biafra in 1966 following a spate of violence that occurred in the north of Nigeria against Igbo people. He is a J.E. of the Biafran Army) to attend the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom. They feel aggrieved that the Nigerian government has not adequately addressed the civil war and its aftermath. The few trained officers had to . The Republic of Biafra comprised over 29,848 square miles (77,310km2) of land,[1]with terrestrial borders shared withNigeriato the north and west, and withCameroonto the east. 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