[20][21][22], In July1966, northern officers and army units staged a counter-coup. We were drafted into the war, given two days' training. To underscore the disparity between how equipped the Nigerian Forces were during the war compared to Biafran Forces, herein is reproduced an emergency signal sent to the Biafran General Officer Commanding by Colonel Akagha of the 56 Brigade. Not everything captured could be brought across the river but that which was brought back included 100,000 rounds of ammunition, 50 bicycles, 3 battery charging machines, 4 wireless sets, 2 typewriters, 300 rounds of 105mm shells, 2 anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, a few weapons and fairly large quantities of food and clothing. [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. 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. In 1968, Swedish pilot Carl Gustaf von Rosen suggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. Photo by Chika Oduah. Biafran Air Force commanders were Chude Sokey and later Godwin Ezeilo,[10] who had trained with the Royal Canadian Air Force. As a Biafran soldier, he commanded the Biafran 63 Brigade in the Owerri sector. In early 1968 the Biafran army captured the city of Owerri at the Capture of Owerri. By October1967, the FMG had regained the land after intense fighting. [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. No gun, no bomb, no nothing.". Ex-Biafran Army Chief of Staff, Madiebo, is dead We were being shelled from everywhere, she said, recalling the day Nigerian combatants reached the city. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armor-reinforced civilian vessels armed with machine guns or captured6-pounder guns. 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. Leader of Biafra breakaway state dies 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 Nigeria's southeast in. They undertook this dangerous task without carrying weapons. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! Okororie recalls that she and her seven children had taken refuge in Oguta, a lakeside town near a local airport, which served as Biafras major supply line for arms and relief materials from international charities. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, became head of the government. "We thought we were magicians," said 76-year-old Mr Ago. Why the Republic of Biafra? 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. Biafraball - Polandball Wiki By early 1969, Biafra had assembled five MFI-9Bs in Gabon, calling them "Biafra Babies". He commanded the Biafran 58 Brigade at Uyo. Because of this, the Biafrans manufactured many of their weapons locally. Increasing cries of marginalisation have led in recent years to the emergence of Igbo groups agitating once again for secession, particularly the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), formed by UK-based British-Nigerian Nnamdi Kanu. These include but are not limited to Madiebo, Eze and Captain August Okpe, the only one of them in the Biafran Airforce (BAF) who in 2010 published a major book on the air-war between Nigeria and Biafra titled, Biafra: The Last Flight. Luebering is Vice President, Editorial at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Like her, Eyiche Adizua, a former technician, fled to Oguta during the civil war. Needless to say that never happened. Here are list of Nigerian soldiers that pulled out to support Ojukwu's breakaway. Being from the eastern part of the country, Adizua says the soldiers on the Nigerian side questioned his flatmates, suspicious he was providing information to Biafran soldiers in the east. The government has nothing to gain by reminding Nigerians that secession happened before and can be attempted again. From: 56 Brigade. [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. . Okororie said she sold food and other household items during the war in exchange for Nigerian pounds, which she then used to buy cigarettes, potash, salt, and marijuana since Biafran currency was not recognized beyond its borders. Initially, Eze was Commander of 52 Brigade of Biafran Army with its headquarters in Calabar and responsible for the defence of the 75 miles of coastline between Ikang on the Cameroun boarder. At the outbreak of hostilities in July 1967 that marked the beginning of the Nigerian Biafran war, Aghanya was commissioned into the Biafran Army with the rank of Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the 44th Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Battalion Biafran Army by the then Chief of Staff Biafran Army, Brigadier Hillary Njoku. 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. 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. The deaths of more than a million people in Nigeria as a result of the brutal civil war which ended exactly 50 years ago are a scar on the nation's history. In the letter Ojukwu states: "Your role in the Port Harcourt disaster is still fresh in the minds of people. . The four most senior officers of Northern origin were also killed. [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. Biafra, officially theRepublic of Biafra, was a secessionist state inWest Africathat existed from May1967 to January1970 during theNigerian Civil War. [49]It has two arms of government, the BiafraGovernment in Exileand the Biafra Shadow Government. Ejike Obumneme Aghanya - Wikipedia He attempts to explain dispassionately why army officers toppled the civil government in the cause of stability, and the considerable civilian support they received; and the ensuing riots and counter-coup, in the name of reunification, which led to a civil war claiming some . These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots. France provided weapons and mercenary fighters to Biafra and promoted their cause internationally, describing the situation as a genocide. People were running. In September1969, Biafra acquired four ex-FrenchNorth American T-6 Texans (T-6G), which were flown to Biafra the following month, with another aircraft lost on the ferry flight. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It was headquartered in Kidney Island,Port Harcourt, and commanded by Winifred Anuku. . But English was more widely spoken in Biafra, so translators were needed whenever French officials visited Ojukwu. See Madiebo page 195. My mother died with three of my children, two boys, and a girl, she told CNN. Some of us, our skin was getting rotten. Following independence, Nigeria was demarcated primarily along ethnic lines:HausaandFulanimajority in the north,Yorubamajority in the West, andIgbomajority in the East.[16]. Nigerian Civil War - Wikipedia He retired as a full Colonel of the Nigerian Army in the 1980s. The commander of the army,General Aguiyi Ironsiseized power to maintain order. The first operation under a gallant Biafran Officer, Nweke, had troops crossing into Umuabayi from Akwete. Prior to Kalu's celebrated career as an officer in the Biafran Army, he had been serving in the Nigerian Army since 1958. You must clear the enemy from Obinze in 24 hours or submit your resignation from the army.". The situation deteriorated, however, after differences developed over the interpretation of the accord. [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. He was one of the few Nigerian Military Officers of his time like Yakubu Gowon (who later became Head of State) and Alexander Madiebo (who later became the General Officer Commanding (G.O.C.) Many Igbo still feel sidelined in Nigerian politics, as since the civil war no-one from the ethnic group has become president. This led to a divisive and bitter war from 1967 to 1970. Commissioned officer ranks [ edit ] The rank insignia of commissioned officers . After it ended, markets, schools, homes, and lives devastated by bombs and bullets had to be rebuilt. During the meeting, Mrs Nwanunobi conveyed to Ojukwu that he stood the risk of losing European support. "The war was an incredible period," said 82-year-old Mrs Nwanunobi. Powered & Managed by Portia Web Solution. In the aftermath of the war, the Nigerian government did not want to impose any form of collective punishment. [8] Federal projects in Biafra were also greatly reduced compared to other parts of Nigeria. The Nigerian government at the time opposed secession, which ensued after failed talks on reconciliation. Former Nigerian Army Officer and Chief of Staff of the defunct Biafran Army, Alexander Madiebo, is dead. The BAF commander wasPolishWorld War IIaceJan Zumbach. [11] 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),[12] a converted DC-3 and one Dove. 19-06-2014 Interview. Thereafter this is how Madiebo (page 263) reports Ezes main objective and final offensive to clear Ikot Ekpene, The operation started well and progressed very fast. But his family was delighted to see that the son and brother they assumed dead was alive. At the beginning of the war Biafra had 3,000soldiers, but at the end of the war, the soldiers totalled 30,000. [66]The Nigerian military killed at least 17unarmed Biafrans in the city ofOnitshaprior to a march on 30May 2016 commemorating the 49th anniversary of Biafras 1967 declaration of independence. Nigeria: A veteran of war and of international humanitarian law After Nigeria announced its currency would no longer be legal tender (to make way for a new currency), this effort increased. The group enacted a re-launch of Biafra inAba, the commercial centre ofAbia Stateand a major commercial centre on Igbo land. Col. (later Gen.) Yakubu Gowon came to power. Nigerian Civil War - New World Encyclopedia Mr Ago left the army and went in search of his family, whom he had not heard from in more than two years. [1] History [ edit] Disabled Biafran war veterans in 2017. "I think now that Ojukwu thought he was Jesus Christ. It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt, and was commanded by Winifred Anuku. Exposure to a primary education program mitigates the impacts of war exposure on education. [9] In an Intersociety study, it was found that Nigerian security forces also extorted approximately $100 million per year from illegal roadblocks and other methods from Igboland a cultural sub-region of Biafra in what is now southern Nigeria, causing greater mistrust of the Igbo citizenry towards the Nigerian security forces. Nigerian Civil War | Description, Causes, Deaths, & Facts [57], MASSOB leader Chief Ralph Uwazuruike establishedRadio Biafrain theUnited Kingdomin 2009, withNnamdi Kanuas his radio director; later Kanu was said to have been dismissed from MASSOB because of accusations of supporting violence. Initially, Eze was Commander of 52 Brigade of Biafran Army with its headquarters in Calabar and responsible for the defence of the 75 miles of coastline between Ikang on the Cameroun boarder and Opobo on the Imo river basin. 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. 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. 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. Along with numerous commands, in a letter sent to him by Odumegwu Ojukwu, Kalu was made an officer of the Biafran fourteenth division with strict orders. The next day, two federal army officers were publicly executed for killing four Igbo civilians in Benin. In September 1969, Biafra acquired four ex-Armee de l'Air North American T-6Gs, which were flown to Biafra the following month, with another T-6 lost on the ferry flight. Adizua also got his old job back at NEPA and was paid his full salary for the years he was absent during the war. Not a single round of ammunition held while enemy pressure continues ceaselessly for the past 48 hours. 10 Thought Provoking Pictures from the Biafran War - Within Nigeria In May the Eastern regions consultative assembly authorized Ojukwu to establish a sovereign republic, while, at the same time, the federal military government promulgated a decree dividing the four regions into 12 states, including 6 in the north and 3 in the east, in an attempt to break the power of the regions. Gen. Yakubu Gowon, right, welcomes UN Secretary-General U Thant, left, as he arrives in Lagos to hold talks about the refugee crisis in the aftermath of the Biafran conflict on January 19, 1970. Some women on the trail were raped and killed by soldiers, while others died in bombing raids. No. 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. He did not run for the presidency in 1979, and Nigeria shifted to civilian rule, thus closing the era of military control during and around the Nigerian Civil War. Conflicts were endemic, as regional leaders protected their privileges; the south complained of northern domination, and the north feared that the southern elite was bent on capturing power. Author of. [4] Mdecins Sans Frontires also originated in response to the suffering. Updated Soldiers burnt houses and killed civilians the lake was filled with dead bodies, including those of white mercenaries, Adizua said. Before the war broke out, Adizua lived in Lagos, Nigerias commercial center with his family. Most of the coup plotters were Igbo. Biafran armed forces | Military Wiki | Fandom Major-General Hassan Umaru, a Nigerian Army officer, said that the army "would like to send an unequivocal warning to all those threatening and agitating for the dismemberment of the country . The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, July 6, 1967 - January 13, . Nigerian police push back crowds of demonstrators outside the French Embassy in Lagos on September 16, 1968. She sold her items to both residents and Biafran soldiers. "He thought he could do magic. July 31: France voices support for Ojukwu. The talks were largely unsuccessful in curbing the conflict between Biafra and Nigeria. A soldier in the ruins of the Onitsha market after it was gutted during fighting in the city on July 16, 1968. Biafra War - GlobalSecurity.org The Bank of Nigeria exchanged only 30 pounds for an individual and 300 pounds for enterprises in the second half of 1968. Dr. Toyin Falola is an African historian and the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair Professor in the Humanities and a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. 2023 BBC. Westerners especially resented the political domination of the Northern Peoples Congress, many of whose candidates ran unopposed in the election. She lost three children in the war. 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. In Biafra from March 1967, before the start of war hostilities, Eze and Madiebo in order to improve the intelligence gathering of Biafra, acting on their own initiative, visited various parts of Northern Nigerian boarder almost every night in an attempt to get information from friendly natives. [27] Biafra was ill-equipped for war, with fewer army personnel and less equipment than the Nigerian military, but had advantages over the Nigerian state as they were fighting in their homeland and had the support of most Biafrans. [2] He retired as a Lt Col in the Nigerian Army around 1985 and later became chairman of the National Population Commission, Abuja. I was bringing salt to Oguta, she recalled, and selling weed.. First, his troops carried out series of diversionary, confidence operations to capture ammunition from Nigerian forces and draw its troops out of Ikot Ekpene for a final onslaught. [7] It was purported that at the start of the civil war, Igbos withdrew their funds from Nigerian banks and converted it to the Biafran currency. During Nigeria's civil war, he was a young officer in the Biafran army. However,Englishwas used as theofficial language. Professor Boniface Obinna Okere lectures on international humanitarian law and other subjects at the University of Nigeria in Enugu. The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 - 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence from Nigeria in 1967. My war experience - Okoro, ex-Biafran teenage soldier - The Sun Nigeria They only had knives and cutlasses. 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. A Nigerian artillery unit in Port Harcourt on May 19, 1968. Nigerias new head of state, Brig. He was 90 years old. Nigerian leader Maj. Gen. Yakubu Gowon accepted the Biafran surrender and asked all Nigerians to greet the former rebels as brothers. [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. [39]In 1968 theSwedishpilotCarl Gustaf von Rosensuggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. Estimates of the number of people who died during the Nigerian Civil War vary significantly, from 500,000 to 3,000,000. Commissioned officer ranks [ edit ] The rank insignia of commissioned officers . Okororie says she wished she had died, too. Nigerian Civil War: History, Causes & Effects - World History Edu Three major rivers flow from Biafra into the Gulf of Guinea: theImo River, theCross Riverand theNiger River.[30]. [65]A report byAmnesty Internationalbetween August2015 and August2016, at least 150 pro-Biafran activists overall were killed by Nigerian security forces, with 60 people shot in a period of two days in connection with events marking Biafran Remembrance Day. This was because troops of 62 Brigade who were to clear the right half of the town, were yet to arrive. Nigeria's main reason for going to war was to counter the secession of the Eastern Region (Biafra) from the Republic of Nigeria. [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. In conclusion, it is people like Eze that provided the sterling leadership for Biafran troops to perform extra-ordinary human feats that made the French Deputy, Ambassador Raymond Offroy to declare on a visit to Biafra, Before I came to Biafra, I was told that Biafrans fought like heroes. 10 Soldiers Who Pulled Out From The Federal Army To Fight For Biafra ", 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. The Biafran Armed Forces (BAF) were the military of the secessionist state of Biafra which existed from 1967 until 1970. Wikizero - Military ranks of Biafra During a stopover of several days in Lisbon, she heard that Biafra had surrendered. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. [28], The FMG attacked Biafra on 6July 1967. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army and he retired in the mid-1990s. It mainly operated in the Niger Delta and along the Niger River.[10]. On 15 January 1970, the conflict officially ended. The two-month period of the Nigerian civil war from August 9 to October 8th 1967 represent the entry and exit dates of Biafran forces from the Midwest. Causes included battlefield deaths, ethnic cleansing, and starvation. New Nigerian newspaper page, 7January 1970. Its coast was on theGulf of Guineaof theSouth Atlantic Oceanin the south. It also had 2 separate brigades, the S Brigade, a Pretorian guard for General Ojukwu,[5] and the 4th Commando Brigade (trained and commanded by mercenaries). 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. Lambert Ihenacho, is known as a brilliant and resourceful officer in the Nigerian Army. See Madiebo pages 260 to 261. Impacts vary with the age of exposure. The shortage of experienced officers was a major problem for the Biafran Army, made worse by a climate of paranoia and suspicion within as Ojukwu believed that other former Federal officers were plotting against him. He was an ambitious young military officer but this rebellious attitude led to his arrest after a failed plotted coup. [1] Contents 1 History 2 Army 3 Air wing 4 Navy 5 Weapons and equipment used by Army and militias 6 References 7 Bibliography History At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. This he did from January 1957 to December 1958 when he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army. The Nigerians who were pursuing us were trained soldiers We were drafted into the war, given two days' training. Gowons attempt to hold a conference to settle the constitutional future of Nigeria was abandoned after a series of ethnic massacres in October 1966. In July 1966 northern officers and army units staged a coup. This coup resulted in General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo and head of the Nigerian Army, taking power as President, becoming the first military head of state in Nigeria. Is climate change killing Australian wine? In 1974 Gowon postponed until 1976 the target date for a return to civilian rule, but he was overthrown in July 1975 and fled to Great Britain. Nweke. She says they walked all day and survived only on achara, a vegetable similar to a leek, until they got to their destination. Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. [9], Biafra had a small improvised navy, but it never gained the success of the air force. Biafran History - ENTER BIAFRA FREEDOM AWARENESS CHANNEL In 1945 an ethnic riot[17]flared up inJosin which Hausa-Fulani people targeted Igbo people and left many dead and wounded. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [32], The bank was first located in Enugu, but due to the ongoing war, it was relocated several times. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Gen. Murtala Ramat Mohammed, initiated many changes during his brief time in office: he began the process of moving the federal capital to Abuja, addressed the issue of government inefficiency, and initiated the process for a return to civilian control. In addition, the federal governments policy of giving 20 pounds to Igbos with bank savings, irrespective of what they owned before the war, left some impoverished.
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