The . "When the war started, there was not a single weapon either in a store or anywhere throughout Biafra. Nigeria led multiple. [7] It was commanded by Brigadier Hillary Njoku[8] and later Major General Alexander Madiebo.[9]. Adizua also got his old job back at NEPA and was paid his full salary for the years he was absent during the war. On March 15, 1968, senior Biafran officers gathered under a tree at Afor Igwe market ,Ogidi. "Without us, the war would have lasted only about 30 hours," said the 85-year-old. The coup eventually took place in July, 1966. "Biafra would have been a technological nation and would have been able to compete with anybody," he said, anger in his voice. 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. "I think we would have done better if we had handled it with a little bit more intelligence," said Mr Ago. I told them I wont work in Lagos, so they posted me to Oji River [in Enugu].. I wont subscribe to war today, because I saw war, he said. 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. [26] A large amount of oil in the region also created conflict, as oil was already becoming a major component of the Nigerian economy. 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. Updates? Eze was recalled to field operations when the situation in the war front was becoming hopeless and propaganda alone could not win the war. Soon the Biafran first Battalion of 58 Brigade was astride Uyo road and the second Battalion had swept through Ibibio Estate College into Ikot Ekpene town. The two columns were led by Colonel Shuwa and mostly northern officers. 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. 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. He was born on December 23, 1935. . [32], It is estimated that a total of 115140million Biafran pounds were in circulation by the end of the conflict, with a population of about 14million, approximately 10per person.[32]. French doctorBernard Kouchneralso witnessed these events, particularly the huge number of starving children, and, when he returned toFrance, he publicly criticised the Nigerian government and theRed Crossfor their seemingly complicit behaviour. After two-and-a-half years of war, during which almost two million Biafran civilians (34 of them small children) died from starvation caused by the total blockade of the region by the Nigerian government,[5] Biafran forces under Nigerias motto of No-victor, No-vanquished surrendered to the Nigerian Federal Military Government (FMG). Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. [4], 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. Nigerian Civil War, also called Nigerian-Biafran War, warbetweenNigerias federal government and the secessionist stateBiafrathat lasted from 1967 to 1970. Its coast was on theGulf of Guineaof theSouth Atlantic Oceanin the south. Aba falls on September 1 and Okigwe freed on . Nigerians in the capital city of Lagos cheer the surrender of the Biafran forces on January 12, 1970. Remembering Nigeria's Biafra war that many prefer to forget The Republic of Biafra had come to an end. 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. Biafra over the years has represented the nationalist aspirations of the Igbo people whose leadership felt they could no longer co-exist with the Northern-dominated federal government. Violence spread throughout the country and some began to flee the North and West, some toDahomey. The Capture of Owerri gave the Biafrans hope for their cause. Mr Ago remembers the overpowering hunger that often forced Biafran soldiers to catch and eat mice. [4] Mdecins Sans Frontires also originated in response to the suffering. 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. The Nigerian government at the time opposed secession, which ensued after failed talks on reconciliation. The southern population is predominantlyChristian, being primarily made up of territory of the indigenousYorubaand Biafra kingdoms in the West and East respectively. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nigerian-civil-war. [58][59]The Nigerian Government, through its broadcasting regulators, the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigerian and Nigerian Communications Commission, has sought to clamp down on Radio Biafra with limited success. In the letter Ojukwu states: "Your role in the Port Harcourt disaster is still fresh in the minds of people. 10 soldiers who played a major role in the Biafran army [33]A second decree, Decree No. Recently, Anthony Okoro Eze who retired from the Nigerian Army as a Colonel passed on at the age of 80 years. Three major rivers flow from Biafra into the Gulf of Guinea: theImo River, theCross Riverand theNiger River.[30]. If any meeting lasted more than two hours, he wouldn't be party to it.". Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. [36], The international humanitarian organisationMdecins Sans Frontiresoriginated in response to the suffering in Biafra. . After being given formal military training in both Ghana and the United Kingdom, Kalu was short service commissioned a Second Lieutenant in November 1959. Charles W. Thomas defined the locations of islands in the Bight of Biafra as between the parallels of longitude 5 and 9 East and latitude 4 North and 2 South. Did you encounter any technical issues? "That was the largest assembly we had," she recalled. He attended Government College Umuahia from 1949 to 1955 and was in Nile and Simpson houses respectively. 2023 Cable News Network. A starving Biafran family during the famine resulting from the Biafran War. The Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed 25February 2019 for hearing the suit. Thus, the northern region of the country has aMuslimmajority, being primarily made up of territory of the indigenousSokoto Caliphate. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000. [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. Military of the former Nigerian secessionist state, Weapons and equipment used by Army and militias, "The Last Adventurer" by Steiner, Rolf (Boston:, Little, Brown 1978), "We are taking over Biafran territories starting from Anambra on May 30 BNG claims", "The Douglas A/B-26 Invader - Biafran Invaders", "All-Time Aircraft Used Listing | Biafran Air Force", Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy, "The military rifle cartridges of Nigeria", Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biafran_Armed_Forces&oldid=1140260283, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 07:08. All rights reserved. During a stopover of several days in Lisbon, she heard that Biafra had surrendered. Eyiche Adizua was a technician at the Nigerian National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) before the civil war broke out, Oguta lake is the largest natural lake in Imo State, southeast Nigeria. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Eze: Exit of a Biafran war hero - The Sun Nigeria Powered & Managed by Portia Web Solution. 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. He returned to Nigeria in 1955 after his graduation and later joined the army where he was eventually appointed military governor of the eastern region of Nigeria, mostly inhabited by Igbo people. Nigerian police push back crowds of demonstrators outside the French Embassy in Lagos on September 16, 1968. Timeline: Biafra War In Key Dates - Channels Television 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. [34]There was no official support for the Biafran Army by any other nation throughout the war, although arms were clandestinely acquired. What God wills is what happens.. 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. The year was 1969, and it was two months before the end of the brutal two-year Nigeria-Biafra war, which killed an estimated one to three million people, mostly from the Igbo tribe in the eastern part of the country. Biafra also received aid from international organizations for its population, which was suffering from starvation. 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. [50]MASSOB accuses Nigeria of marginalising Biafran people. Young Biafran soldiers inspect an unexploded shell in June 1968. ", 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. By October1967, the FMG had regained the land after intense fighting. Soon afterwards, the Biafran battalion captured Umuabayi, together with the enemy ammunition and food dump located there. 2023 BBC. Mr Ago left the army and went in search of his family, whom he had not heard from in more than two years. Nigerias new head of state, Brig. He was behind the setting up of four universities of science and technology in different regions of Nigeria and after retirement he published Scientific and Technological Innovations in Biafra, a book he hoped would inspire young Nigerians. 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. During Nigeria's civil war, he was a young officer in the Biafran army. Biafra, officially theRepublic of Biafra, was a secessionist state inWest Africathat existed from May1967 to January1970 during theNigerian Civil War. Ojukwu, the son of a wealthy businessman, studied history at Oxford University. 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. Info: Defence Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief. Nigerians in Lagos react to news of the Biafrian surrender following the announcement of a ceasefire on January 12, 1970. [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. 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. [40]The six airplanes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. Ogbugo Kalu. Its territory consisted of theEastern RegionofNigeria. Widespread reports of fraud tarnished the elections legitimacy. Now 50 years since the end of the war, some are still clamoring for the return of the republic. These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots. Oguta town served as Biafra's major supply line for arms and relief material during the war. [1], At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. 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. 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. Commissioned officer ranks [ edit ] The rank insignia of commissioned officers . 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. [62][63]Self-determination is not a crime in Nigerian law. We who are about to die, salute you. Biafran History - ENTER BIAFRA FREEDOM AWARENESS CHANNEL Estimates of the number of people who died during the Nigerian Civil War vary significantly, from 500,000 to 3,000,000. Fighting broke out in early July. 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. [32]The bank carried out all central banking functions including the administration of foreign exchange and the management of the public debt of the Republic. 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. Background Nigeria became an independent country on October 1, 1960. Biafran armed forces | Military Wiki | Fandom His death was confirmed by his. He married Mrs. Joan Angelina Eze from Grenada, West Indies in 1960. It was during one of Okorories trips to the market that her brothers house was bombed. Colonel Robert Akonobi commanded the Biafran 57 Brigade. Evelyn Okororie was a trader in Port Harcourt, southeast Nigeria before the civil war broke out. 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. These aircraft flew missions until January1970 and were flown byPortugueseex-military pilots. The Easterners felt alienated from the Nigerian government which was dominated by the Northerners. The two coups deepened Nigerias ethnic tensions. In an attempt to stave off ethnic conflict, Nigerias Mid-West region was created in 1963 by dividing the Western region. Initially, the final offensive was neutralised by Biafran troops. "That is what makes me sad. Pregnant women were left behind by their husbands as they gave birth, she added. He was military administrator of Bornu state and retired as a Colonel of the Nigerian Army in 1999. War exposure of mothers (but not fathers) has adverse impacts on child growth, survival, and education. It mainly operated in theNiger River deltaand along theNiger River. Refugees flee the fighting in July 1968. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Major General Philip Effiong, the Republic of Biafra's Vice President and Chief of General Staff, orchestrated the surrender after the original President, Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, escaped to the Ivory Coast. [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. As a Biafran soldier, he commanded the Biafran 63 Brigade in the Owerri sector. Almost every student he knew became part of the war effort. Thereafter he was posted to Congo from February 1961 to August 1961 and was Commander of Nigerian Army Signal from 1964 to 1966. 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. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. "The war was an incredible period," said 82-year-old Mrs Nwanunobi. After it ended, markets, schools, homes, and lives devastated by bombs and bullets had to be rebuilt. The few trained officers had to . Some women on the trail were raped and killed by soldiers, while others died in bombing raids. There were other new entrants in Biafra like Lieutenant Achike Udenwa (who later became governor of Imo state). She lost three children in the war. [76], On 31 July 2020, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra / Biafra Independence Movement (BIM-MASSOB) joined theUnrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization(UNPO).[77][78]. Biafra consumed three service chiefs - Vanguard News Subsequently, the Biafran Commander-in-Chief posted him to Army Headquarters as Chief of Operations under Madiebo, away from field operations. But tragedy struck when Nigerian combatants launched an airstrike. The military intervention worsened the political situation, as the army itself split along ethnic lines, its officers clashed over power, and the instigators and leaders of the January coup were accused of favouring Igbo domination. Author of. Copyright 2020. Ejike Obumneme Aghanya - Wikipedia Nigerian Civil War, also called Nigerian-Biafran War, war between Nigeria 's federal government and the secessionist state Biafra that lasted from 1967 to 1970. [36], The Biafrans managed to set up a small yet effective air force. Nigerian Civil War: History, Causes & Effects - World History Edu In July 1969, Biafra launched an air . 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. He commanded the Biafran 58 Brigade at Uyo. [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. 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. This was because troops of 62 Brigade who were to clear the right half of the town, were yet to arrive. 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. [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. Mission | Biafran.org He died in November 2011 and was given a full military burial in a ceremony attended by then Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, some other African leaders and members of the diplomatic corps. After Nigeria announced its currency would no longer be legal tender (to make way for a new currency), this effort increased. [1], At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. And they were glad that he had turned up with food. [68][69][70]Many reports has it that BNYL is linked to the Southern Cameroons separatists, although the group confirms this, it denies involvements in violent activities in the region. 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. Though peaceful, the protesters have been routinely attacked by the Nigerian police and army, with large numbers of people reportedly killed. 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. 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. "And people who worked in every Biafra office were high level people. Impacts vary with the age of exposure. A soldier in the ruins of the Onitsha market after it was gutted during fighting in the city on July 16, 1968. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. Not a single round of ammunition held while enemy pressure continues ceaselessly for the past 48 hours. [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. See Madiebo page 195. For the next 30 months, he headed the Research and Production (RAP) group comprising Igbo scientists from various fields. [39]In 1968 theSwedishpilotCarl Gustaf von Rosensuggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. Biafras declaration of independence from Nigeria resulted in a civil war between Biafra and Nigeria. Ojukwu died after a brief illness at age 78 in November, 2011. [31]Along with Igbo, there were a variety of other minority languages, includingEfik,Ogoni,Ijaw,Annang,Ibibio,Idoma,Igala, and others. Four days later, Ojukwu unilaterally declared the independence of the Republic of Biafra, citing the Easterners killed in the post-coup violence as reasons for the declaration of independence. 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. A Nigerian artillery unit in Port Harcourt on May 19, 1968. And he had the distinction of having held out against all odds for 15 months in the face of furious onslaughts by federal troops. He joined the Biafran army and was assigned to the signal unit, whose responsibilities included "active intelligence and eavesdropping on the Nigerian military". He is a J.E. In early 1968 the Biafran army captured the city of Owerri at the Capture of Owerri. Prior to Kalu's celebrated career as an officer in the Biafran Army, he had been serving in the Nigerian Army since 1958. [53], In July 2006 theCenter for World Indigenous Studiesreported that government-sanctioned killings were taking place in the southeastern city ofOnitsha, because of a shoot-to-kill policy directed toward Biafrans, particularly members of the MASSOB. Two Fouga Magister and several Gloster Meteor were bought but never arrived to Biafra, being abandoned on foreign African airbases. Some of us, our skin was getting rotten. Njoku, a lawyer is a connoisseur of Biafran War Literature. The Nigerians who were pursuing us were trained soldiers We were drafted into the war, given two days' training. Lambert Ihenacho, is known as a brilliant and resourceful officer in the Nigerian Army. [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. The Military ranks of Biafra were the military insignia used by the Biafran Armed Forces between 1967 and 1970, when Biafra was defeated in the Nigerian Civil War. Biafra, named after the Bight at the shores of the Atlantic, in my mind, is one of the greatest nations in black Africa that was destined to be, but unfortunately could only survive for 30 months.. The currency of Biafra had been the Nigerian pound until the Bank of Biafra started printing out its own notes, the Biafran pound. 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. Ex-Biafran Army Chief of Staff, Madiebo, is dead "He thought he could do magic. Estimates of the number of dead from fighting, disease and starvation during the 30-month civil war are estimated at between. Bala Mohammed, a former soldier who fought against Biafra for the Nigerian army. In May 1969, commandos of the Biafran army captured oil wells in Kwale. To: Tactical Army Headquarters. Biafran War veterans remember the conflict 50 years on, "He was a gorgeous person," she said again and again. Asked whether she harboured any resentment towards them, the businesswoman shook her head. Man under fire after sharing photo of his kitchen on Twitter, people react. Main article:Nigerian Civil War, In 1960,Nigeriabecame independent of theUnited Kingdom. One united Nigeria is better.. By early 1969, Biafra had assembled five MFI-9Bs in Gabon, calling them "Biafra Babies". He plotted the successful offensive to clear Ikot Ekpene of Nigerian Forces. [2] No official support for the Biafran Army came from any other nation, although arms were clandestinely acquired. 2, Coscharis Street, Kirikiri industrial Layout, Apapa, Lagos. Beatles singer John Lennon returned his MBE in a protest over Britains foreign policy, which included Biafra and the Vietnam war. The RAP's most notable product was the "ogbunigwe", a weapons launcher of remarkable and devastating effect which influenced the outcome of many battles in Biafra's favour, according to historical reports. A high ranking military officer called Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led the breakaway republic. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army and he retired in the mid-1990s. January 1966 - Nigerian government overthrown in what was seen as an "Igbo coup" led by junior army officers, January 1966 - Lt Col Odumegwu-Ojukwu appointed military governor of Eastern Region, July 1966 - Second coup masterminded by Murtala Muhammed, Lt Col Yakubu Gowon becomes head of state, June to October 1966 - Riots in northern Nigeria targeted at Igbos, killing many and forcing up to a million to return to south-eastern Nigeria, May 1967 - Ojukwu declares independence of the Republic of Biafra, October 1967 - Biafran capital Enugu falls, May 1968 - Nigeria captures oil-rich Port Harcourt, April 1969 - Umuahia, new Biafran capital falls to Nigerian forces.
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