for my first post here I'll like to talk about my country Nigeria
and of all the interesting topics wrapped around it, I'll like to marginalize the one that no one talks about anymore. A topic that is supposed to be known by Nigerian student in history classes but sadly is not!.
Now about 1 years ago I was playing around in my grandmothers house when I stumbled upon a box
Out of curiosity I opened the box and saw a note
It wasn't my country's currency so I looked closer and saw "biafran pounds " I was filled with joy as I was only happy because I had imagined myself in a treasure hunt
"I found pounds "I screamed across the house
My godmother came and saw me with the supposed treasure in my hands she screamed and snatched it away from me
I could see shock and fear in her eyes.
and then she said "do You know what a Nigerian soldier would do to you if you're seen with this? "
It question was rhetorical so she left immediately after asking
I was left with the felling of uncertainty knowing I'll not rest until I satisfy my curiousity and to know where the felling of fear I saw in my godmothers eyes.
I placed a stamp in my memory that day with the word "Biafra" for weeks following that incident I kept asking people to tell me the meaning of Biafra. My parents, my siblings and even my teacher's. And as expected most of them tried to hide the actual truth from me I had no access to the internet so I was kept in ignorance till I forgot about it for a while .
When I was ten I finished my monthly supply of novels early (as usuall) so I was going through my moms shelf containing her old novels when I stumbled across a specific Book named *There was a country*(a personal account by Nigerian writer chinua achebe of the Nigerian civil war six month's prior to his death it is the authors last published book) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Was_a_Country
As seen on the cover of the book " a personal history of bifra" this took me back to the incident with my god mother
Finally
I would be able to satisfy my forgotten curiosity
Curiosity did kill the cat in my case too because I was devastated by the contents of that novel
Not because it was a bad book ( it was actually one of the best novels I've read)
But because it opened my eyes to the near extinction of my own race. and by none other than my fellow other nigerians!. After much investigation
Here's the story I'm sure you'd be waiting for
after Nigeria's second military coup of July 1966 the future of the country after gaining independence from the british was anything but promising. to make matters worst about thirty thousand easterners were killed in the northern region (mainly of the Igbo ethnicity) which resulted in the flee of the survivors from the north to the east leaving lands and properties occupied there which we're mostly taken by the northerners. The new military leader Lt col yakubo gowon made several promises to stop the killings but it continued
Yakubu then tried to pacify the conflict by inviting the four military governors of each region of the country
But the military governor of the eastern region Lt colonel Refused to attend for safety reason's since he never recognized yakubu's leadership
Until the military leader of Ghana hosted the officers on in aburi
a lot was discussed and one of which was that each region would be responsible for its affairs except matters affecting the entire country
Ojukwu and yakubu shook hands in agreement
But on the 26th of January 1967 Lt col Yakubu gave a press conference rejecting the main deals made in the aburi meeting.
Ojukwu reacted by releasing an edit which said all revenue obtain from the eastern region would be diverted into helping the displaced easterners from the north.
Yakubu responded by releasing Decree no 8
Giving him absolute power of all regions. revenue, his main targets where obviously the oil rich regions of the east . Ojukwu rejected this decree and started making plans for the removal of the east from nigeria colonel yakunu divided the country into 12 parts separating the Igbo speaking parts from the other minority parts where most of the oil where produced.
That was the last straw. On The 30th of may 1967, Lt col chukwuemeka ojukwu declared the easter rejoin independent and named it the independent republic of biafra
Yakubu responded in a press conference that he plans to use force to nullify the break away.
and it came to pass as the Nigerian army released bombarding shells in ogoja, the first official attack of the Nigerian army which was known as police action. Biafran bother towns of obudu, gakem and Nsukka where also attacked. The response to these attacks by the biafran army where minimal as they where within the reach of only 5 thousand to 7 thousand men barely trained and armed with modern weapons. They found their selves in dismay as they where over powered by the more mordernised Nigerian army. Major kaduna nzeogu (who led the first coup in Nigeria) who was released and promoted in the biafran army was killed and taken back to kaduna where he was buried with high honors despite beign an enemy. they further launched attacks on biafran lands east of the Niger delta rejoin carried out col Benjamin adekunle ( the black scorpion). and in the heated war the main aim was to dismantle the biafran capital of enugu in hopes of ending the war. Colonel ojukwu then embarked on operation torch which was an effort to take advantage of th fact that gowon did not launch attacks from the western region in other to respect the wishes of the Midwest to start neutral in the war. The biafran army led by col banjo took over towns in the mid west, asaba warrior and auchi. Ojukwu ordered his men to raid the house of the military governor of the Midwest Lt col David ejoor and arrest him but luckily he escaped. The biafran army then took over the mid west and ojukwu made it a puppet state naming it the republic of Benin. This action made Lt col Yakubu gowan to remove the police action and declare an all out war on biafra. The retook warri, sapele and ugheli along with bonny island located in the south. Ojukwu summoned Lt col banjo and three other officers who where accused of negotiating with the Nigerian government. They where tried for treason and executed.
The Nigerian government further extended their attack to Enugu. This attack was swift
Air bombardments which where even placed on civilian territories. Ojukwu tried urging the civilians not to flee but they did when the attacks became intense. On the 4th of October 1967 the Nigerian army attacked the city. Ojukwu was asleep in the Nigerian state house when he woke up to gun shots and sound of bombardments around him.
Disguised as a slave he was able to flee Enugu for umuahia where he was able to take his government to the next day.
The Nigerian government then retook asaba on the 5th of October 1967 killing civilians and claiming they where sympathizing with the biafrans. In an attempt to stop the blood shed the leaders of asaba tried to rally the citizens for asaba shouting "one Nigeria, one Nigeria " suddenly the soldiers led my Lt Ibrahim taiwo separated the men from the women, the males where immediately gunned down and killed and estimated amount of 700 men died that day, with the Nigerian army comiting further atrocities and destroying asaba. The Nigerian army led by Lt muritalla Mohammed then tried to invade onitsha three times but where desperately twarted by the biafran army which made him realize he could not attack biafra from asaba.
Since they already had control in bonny island they decided to attack calabar which was a major trade city of the east
The code name was operation tiger claw.
The small but stubborn biafrans soldiers fought desperately to retain some parts.
Major ogbaonnaya who was in charge of defending the entire south east region was wounded and he retreated to umuahia replaced by David okafor who waited for reinforcements and later joined by the biafra's 7th batallion led by David akagha.
Upon arrival they where met with intense bombardments by the Nigerian army. David akagha related a message to ojukwu pleading for reinforcement as further defense we're rendered futile
He said " commander for GOC the situation in this sector is definitely out of hands, if not hopeless, not a single round of ammunition is held while enemy pressure continue ceaselessly for 48 hours, we intend to stay on and make the supreme sacrifice. Please, help before its too late. We who are about to die salute you. "
In dire devastation ojukwu sent newly recruited French mercenaries led by col ger falques but where met with intense force by the Nigerian army which made them leave the boarders of the country never to be seen again. Thus led to the complete capture of calabar. Onitsha was also finally captured on the 26th of March 1967. As the war raged on the major international community remained generally sympathetic but steadfast in their refusal to support biafra led my Britain. Britain claimed that its support for the Nigerian army was in the intrest of the country's economy, but a closer look at the biafran territory proved other wise. Nigeria's main source of foreign exchange was crude oil located mainly in the east. Drilled by Britain owned company's. So the colonial masters provided the Nigerian government with the bulk of the neccesary war materials. The united states foreign policy on the matter tender to follow the path of Britain in refusal to recognize biafra. Although France did not official recognize the country it provided them with arms and ammunitions
mercenaries and other assistance. But as with all things relating to war, economics Is also a vital part, as the French government laid claim to over 7% of the country's oil supply and knowing majority of it lied in the east they felt it would Favour them if it (the republic of biafra)became a reality
Source :https://youtu.be/6RZhVrF91TE
If you've been following this from the beginning you'd me met with certain contradicting thoughts
I was too, I finally saw the reason behind the fear in my godmother's eyes
But don't forget
There's more.
My next post :Nigeria's civil war 2(the quest for biafra)
Which will contain the end game of the most bloody war In the history of Africa.
A wonderful article you have written here, your post have been upvoted by @ronindboss ❤️