Nigeria Civil War How the struggle for Power Started

Military Coup Before Nigeria Civil War

No doubt the second Military coup that happened in July 1966, left the Country in Turmoil and Political unrest, a Coup that saw the death of Nigeria’s first Military President  Aguisi Ironsi and other prominent figures including over two hundred officers from the eastern region. This bloody coup indeed left a lot of scare in the heart of Nigeria and a wound which might take an eternity to heal. Is no doubt that this Second Military coup is one of the big factors that led to Nigeria’s Civil War; one of the most bloody civil wars in Africa that lasted three years. 

Shortly after the Coup, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon was installed as the military head of State even though he was not the highest-ranking Military officer in the country. This didn’t go well with some Military officers, especially the then Eastern Military Governor, Lt. Colonel Ojukwu, who felt it was disrespectful.

Shortly, after a series of pogroms arose in the Northern region of the country that led to the death of over 30,000 easterners, particularly of the Igbo ethnicity. 29 September 1966 became known as ‘Black Thursday’, as it was considered the worst day of the massacre

The then-military Head of State Yakubu Gowon made a series of promises to put an end to the killing of easterners in the north. Still, it looked like nothing but a futile promise cause from mid-September to 31st December 1966 it was estimated that over one million easterners flew the north, with each having horrific tales to say about their experience in the North. 

Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon, the new Military ruler, moved for all Military governors in Nigeria to meet under the framework of the Supreme Military Council to sort out ways of resolving the crisis in the Country. But the Military Governor of the Eastern region, Lt. Colonel Ojokwu, who refused to recognize Gowon’s leadership, refused to participate in any meeting within Nigeria for security reasons. 

The Aburi Accord

Finally, General Ankrah of Ghana agreed to host the officer on his territory at Aburi, Ghana. On the 4th and 5th of January 1967, a meeting was held, and a lot was discussed and agreed upon during the meet-up in Aburi, but the main agenda of the agreement was that each region would be responsible for its affairs and that the Federal Military Government would only be responsible for matters that affected the whole country. 

 When the meeting came to an end, Gowon and Ojukwu shook hands and promised to abide by what they had agreed upon in Aburi Ghana. But on the 26th of January, 1967, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon gave a press conference rejecting the main points agreed upon at Aburi. 

Ojukwu immediately responded by issuing an edict that all federal Revneue generated in the east excluding oil was going to be diverted to deal with the problems of the displaced people in the Eastern region, The statement of oil in Ojukwu statement sent shivers down the collective spine of the supreme military council. And the reason why is that most of Nigeria’s oil is located in the minority non-Igbo region of the east which is the modern South-South in Nigeria. 

Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon responded almost immediately by issuing Decree No. 8, which gave absolute power over the affairs of any regional government in the country. 

The then Eastern Governor Lt. Colonel Ojokwu rejected this decree and beings plans for the secession of the Eastern Region from the Republic of Nigeria to prevent the east from seceding, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon went ahead and divided the four regions of the country into 2 states. He also cleverly divided the eastern region into three states, separating the core Igob territory from the minority regions where most of the oil in the country was located. 

In early May, Gowon imposed a blockade in the eastern region and this was his final action. 

Declaration of Biafra

Col Chukwuemaka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the independence of the Eastern Region on the 30th of May, 1967, and he renamed it the Independent Republic of Biafra. 

Over some time, a sense of the calm before the storm descended on the new nation. The population of Biafra held its breath in anticipation. 

Before the Nigeria Civil War began a reporter asked the then-military head of State Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon if he thought it necessary to use military force to bring down Colonel Ojukwu’s regime. Here goes Gowon’s response “Yes, it is necessary. I think I have made this point before that if the integrity and corporate existence of this country is threatened, I would use force to maintain it.”

 Ojukwu responded to Gowon’s Interview by saying “If civil war comes, and I do think it is imminent, you’re quite right, it will for us be the price of freedom. Our people here have for a long time been prepared for this eventuality and I am confident of their readiness. I think that when it does come the people on the other side would be surprised  as to what they are going to get and I’m confident that it will not last long.”

Beginning of Nigeria Civil War

On the 6th of July, 1967, Nigerian artillery shells began to rain down on the town of Ogoja, ten miles from the border with the north. The Nigerian military high command launched an open assault on the breakaway region of Biafra in what was initially described as a police action.

The 1st division of the federal army, commanded by Colonel Mohammed Shuwa, the former commanding officer of the 5th battalion in Kano, led a series of attacks in the Nigeria Civil war on the Biafran Northern border towns of Obudu, Ogoja, Gakem, and Nsukka. This assault was codenamed Operation Unicord during the Nigeria Civil War.

The strategy put in place for a quick capture of Enugu–the Biafran capital, then during the Nigeria Civil War which they confidently predicted would be achieved in a matter of weeks if not days, thereby bringing an end to the action. The division consisted of two brigades comprising three battalions each.

The first brigade, commanded by Maj. Sule Apollo – the man who led the first assault on Biafra, was tasked with the capture of the towns of Ogugu and Nsukka, the latter being an important commercial centre in Biafra. From there, the detached elements would be earmarked to push south and probe the parameter defence of Enugu, about thirty-five miles farther south.

It seemed clear that their attitude was originally to make a massive assault on the Nsukka area, I mean the Ogoja area so as to tie up all our troops and then to make an armoured thrust through Nsukka directly to their number one objective:  Lieutenant Colonel Ojukwu in Enugu. If you didn’t know it, that’s me. 

The 2nd Brigade, commanded by Maj. Martin Adamu was tasked with bearing down on Enugu from the east, capturing the towns of Ogoja, Obudu, and Gakem in the process. The offensive was premised on a fairly simple plan that relied heavily on communication and coordination and was based primarily on the expectation of a minimal defense from the Biafran army.

Ojukwu took it upon himself to release all the officers who took part in the first military coup from prisons stationed in the eastern region. This included Majors Kaduna Nzeogwu, Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Humphrey Chukwuka, and Lt.Col Victor Banjo, who was also imprisoned by Aguiyi Ironsi because of an assassination attempt. In the first few days of the conflict, the defensive Biafran army made up of significant numbers of volunteers that were poorly armed, soon found themselves vulnerable to heavy artillery bombardments from the Nigerian forces.

Finding themselves hopeless in the face of blanket artillery and mortar fire support, the defending Biafran troops from the 7th battalion had no choice but to withdraw.

Death of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu

On the 29th of July 1967, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, the leader of Nigeria’s first military coup, who had now been promoted to the rank of a Biafran Lt. Colonel, was trapped in an ambush and killed near Nsukka while conducting a night reconnaissance operation against the federal troops of the 21st battalion under Captain Inuwa Wushishi.

Even though Nzeogwu was technically an enemy soldier killed in combat,  The Military Head of State Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon ordered his body to be flown to Kaduna and buried with full military honours.

By the end of July, the towns of Ogoja, Obudu, Gakem, and Nsukka were successfully occupied by the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the federal army.

The Biafran capital of Enugu was now in sight. On the 25th of July, 1967, the Nigerian 3rd Marine Commando Division Commanded by Col. Benjamin Adekunle, the Black Scorpion, launched a surprise seaborne assault on the Island of Bonny east of the Niger Delta region.

Col. Benjamin Adekunle was a well-known Military figure in the Nigeria Civil War he took part in over 60% cause of the action in the war and was believed to be responsible for the killing of over 200,000 Igbo He never hid the fact that he wanted to kill Igbo’s and end the war during the Nigeria Civil War he even stated to a European Journalist during the Nigeria Civil War that he will go as far as starving every single soul living in the Eastern region to Win the war.  

Ojukwu Plan to Capture Lagos and Ibadan

The Island of Bonny east of the Niger Delta region was at that time an extremely important location as it was the main oil-loading terminal for the Shell/BP pipeline from Port Harcourt.

The plan for the capture of Bonny was to conquer the waterways and deny the Biafrans from receiving logistics during the war. With the Nigerian victories in the north, the seaborne attack in the south, and the Biafra capital of Enugu coming under immense pressure from the 1st division, Ojukwu revealed a streak of tactical flare at the last minute. He called it Operation Torch.

Operation Torch was conceived by the Biafran high command as a means to exploit the fact that the Supreme Military Council had rather unwisely respected the wishes of the mid-western region to remain neutral in the conflict. 

Ojukwu began to draw up plans for an invasion of the Mid-West in an attempt to divert attention away from Enugu and possibly bring a quick end to the war. On the 8th of August, 1967, Biafran troops from the newly formed 101st Division commanded by Col. Victor Banjo and assisted by Lt.Col Emmanuel Ifeajuna, crossed the Niger at Onitsha and landed in the Midwestern city of Asaba. Within minutes, they took control of the post office and disconnected all major communication lines in the city.

They continued to press forward and when they reached the town of Agbor, they split into three fronts. The 12th Battalion, under Col. Festus Akagha, moved west towards Benin City,  the capital of the midwest, and captured it. The 18th Battalion, under Major Humphrey Chukwuka, moved southwards towards the towns of Warri,  Sapele, and Ughelli, which were some of the Oil-rich areas in the region.

The last front, which was the 13th Battalion, under Col. Mike Inveso swung northwards towards the towns of Auchi and Agenebode. Unbeknownst to Col. Banjo, some soldiers under a Midwesterner called Lt. Col. Ochei   made their way to the residence of Lt.Col David Ejoor, the Military governor of the Midwest. 

They were ordered by Ojukwu to arrest him. Fortunately for Ejoor, his Quartermaster, Lt. Col. Samuel Ogbemudia, changed the guard detail at the government house the night prior, effectively replacing the troops that were ordered to hand over the governor of the Midwest. These new guards resisted the attacking soldiers and gave Ejoor enough time to escape.

The 12th Battalion, now transformed into a Brigade, was tasked with the quick capture of Ibadan and the Nigerian capital city of Lagos. But this was postponed for about three days because Ojukwu and Banjo argued over whom to appoint as Governor of the Mid-Western Region.

Not wanting to appoint an Igbo officer as governor in the region, Banjo suggested that either  Lt.Col Samuel Ogbemudia or Col. Rudolph Trimnell be given the post. But Ojukwu refused and ultimately settled for an Igbo medical officer by the name of Major Albert Okonkwo. Returning to Benin, Banjo resumed the extremely delayed advance of the 12th Brigade to Lagos and Ibadan. They made their way to the town of Ore and awaited further instructions.

In Warri, soldiers led by Major Humphrey Chukwuka made their way to the Warri prison and released Major Ademoyega, another co-conspirator of the January coup. Major Ademoyega was put in command of a newly formed 19th Battalion, comprising 700 recently recruited soldiers meant to support the 12th brigade in Benin. Lt-Col Ifeajuna later gave up his command to Col. Henry Igboba and returned to Enugu as the division’s liaison officer.

After being appointed Governor of the Midwest on August 17th, Okonkwo installed a dusk-to-dawn curfew, allowing only citizens with passes to move freely at night. The administration was structured to empower those who supported the invasion. 

Local governments in the area were directed to donate materials to Enugu to support the war effort. The opinion of the mid-westerners towards the Igbos before the invasion was indifferent if not negative. Soon, some resistance groups began to spring up against the Biafrans, particularly from the ethnic Urhobos and Ijaws in the region.

On the 20th of August, 1967, a group of these rebels successfully raided a Biafran camp, killing 50 soldiers in the process. In retaliation, the Biafran soldiers began raiding many villages in the Mid-West, carrying out many atrocities in the process.

On the 19th of September, 1967, Ojukwu created a Biafran puppet state out of the Mid-West  with Okonkwo as its President and called it the Republic of Benin. This only lasted for 24 hours.

With this, Gowon immediately removed the clause for the police action and declared an all-out war on Biafra. On the 20th of September 1967, while the Biafran 12th Brigade was stationed in Ore, a newly formed Nigerian 2nd division, commanded by Col. Murtala Muhammed, attacked the Biafrans and forced them to retreat.

The retreating Biafrans managed to get a vital head-start in front of the advancing Nigerians by destroying some bridges on their way to Benin. When the Nigerian 2nd Division reached Benin, they discovered that the was city largely abandoned but they managed to find a trapped Biafran unit stationed in the Benin Prison, Most of them were killed by the federal forces while attempting to escape.

The predominant of which was Col. Henry Igboba, who was imprisoned in Benin by Banjo and beheaded by the federal forces when they arrived, Meanwhile, the Nigerian 3rd Marine Commando Division under Colonel Benjamin Adekunle was ordered to halt their advance from the Biafran south and head west towards Warri.

They succeeded in retaking Warri, Sapele, and Ughelli from the Biafrans. Continuing their retreat from the Midwest, the Biafran troops from the 101st division arrived at Asaba and crossed the Niger into Onitsha.

Ojukwu execute Biafran Warlord’s

To delay the 2nd division from advancing into the Biafran territory, they destroyed the Niger Bridge at Onitsha. Arriving at Onitsha, Ojukwu summoned Col. Victor Banjo and three other officers including  Lt.Col Ifeajuna to Enugu.

They were accused of negotiating with the federal officials, through British agents, hoping to bring about a ceasefire and overthrow Ojukwu, They were hastily trial and sentenced to death by firing squad for treason.  On the 22nd of September, 1967, Col. Victor Banjo, Philip Alale, Sam Agbam, and Lt.Col Ifeajuna were executed.

It safe to say, Lt.Col Ifeajuna, was the first Black African to win a gold medal at an international sporting event. He claimed the medal during the men’s high jump at the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada. Many regard Nzeogwu as the leader of Nigeria’s first military coup, which is quite right, but the true brain behind the coup was no other person but Emmanuel Ifeajuna.

Whilst Nzeogwu has been decorated as a war hero and has a statue of him erected in his hometown, Ifeajuna has continued to receive little or no recognition after his death.

The Nigerian 1st division began their advance from Nsukka to Enugu on the 12th of September, 1967.  Armed mostly with small arms and some anti-tank weapons, the troops kept in close contact with each other to keep the line of advance even.

The Biafran 53rd Brigade under Colonel Alexander Madiebo, the newly appointed head of the Biafran Army, was tasked with defending Enugu. But his unit had been exhausted by previous engagements  and was unable to call upon reinforcements.

The Biafran forces attempted to slow the federal troops but within a few weeks, the Nigerian forces reached the heart of Enugu. Federal artillery began bombarding Enugu on the 26th of September, conducting multiple air raids in the process.

News of the 2nd Division’s success in the midwest and Ojukwu’s decision to execute some of  his top officers boosted their morale. On the 1st of October 1967, Ojukwu delivered a speech over the radio, pledging the Biafrans not to abandon Enugu, But two days later, as the bombardment became intense, the Biafrans began to evacuate.

Meanwhile, Gowon ordered Major T.Y Danjuma to assume the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel  and replace Major Sule Apollo as commander of the 1st brigade. Danjuma was given charge of six full battalions and 2,000 troops as reinforcements,   which he organized into one additional battalion with the remaining 1,000 troops held in reserve.Having obtained some armored cars, he linked up his forces before moving ahead on a narrower front towards Enugu.

Finally, On the 4th of October 1967, federal air and ground forces assaulted the city. Ojukwu was asleep in the Biafran State House when the federal troops attacked.

 He awoke to the sound of gunfire and mortar explosions and found the building surrounded by federal forces but disguising himself as a servant, he walked past the circle of soldiers and escaped. In the end, the Nigerian 1st Division successfully occupied the city.

Troops from the 1st Division were the most experienced soldiers in the Nigerian Army  as many of them had fought during the second world war.

Nigerians hoped that Enugu’s capture would convince the  Igbos to end their support for the secession. But this did not occur the next day, Ojukwu relocated his government without much difficulty to Umuahia, a city positioned deep within the Igbo territory. On the 5th of October 1967, Federal troops from the 2nd division entered the Midwestern city of Asaba.

They immediately began to ransack houses and killing civilians, claiming that they were sympathizing with the Biafrans, in an attempt to stop the violence, the leaders of Asaba summoned all the townspeople to a peaceful march pledging loyalty to Nigeria.

On the morning of October the 7th, thousands of men, women, and children from every corner of Asaba, joined the parade, singing, dancing, and shouting words of “One Nigeria, One Nigeria.”Some Nigerian soldiers were with them. Suddenly, these soldiers, ordered by Major Ibrahim Taiwo, separated the men and teenage boys from their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters. They gathered the men and young boys in an open square and opened fire on them. Exactly how many died that day is not clear.

Attempt to Capture Ontisha

In late October 1967, troops from the federal 2nd division began to prepare for an invasion of the Biafran city of Onitsha. Gowon ordered Col. Murtala Muhammed to cross the Niger at Idah, but he disregarded the advice and instead, led an amphibious assault on Onitsha.

On the 4th of October, 1967, Col. Murtala Muhammed ordered the Nigerian artillery to begin bombarding Onitsha. Eight days later, he led a 10-boat armada carrying 5,000 Nigerian soldiers across the Niger River into Onitsha.

The Biafran 18th Battalion resisted stubbornly to the assault  but was later forced to retreat in disarray. However, instead of pursuing the retreating Biafrans and occupying the town,  the Nigerians turned their attention to looting and burning the Onitsha Market to the ground. This gave the 18th Battalion enough time  to reorganize and make a counter-attack. 

Maj. Achuzie’s 11th battalion made their way up to the New Market road,  while the 18th Battalion under Col. Nsudoh, swung down the Old Market road towards Onitsha.

Soon, the 2nd division soldiers stationed in Onitsha were cornered by the Biafrans and attacked.  There were many casualties on the Nigerian side and only a few of them were able to retreat.

Murtala Muhammed ordered a 5,000-man reserve from Lagos to cross the Niger River into Onitsha but they were once again defeated. Again for the third time,

Colonel Murtala Mohammed, ordered troops under Lt. Col. Alani Akinrinade to make a third assault on Onitsha, but they were once again thwarted by the Biafran 11th and 18th Battalions.

Finally, after losing a lot of his men, the commander of the 2nd division now realized that there was no hope in attacking Onitsha from Asaba and began to head north towards Idah.

Colonel Mohammed’s conduct in the operations to cross the Niger River  has about every element of  gross military misconduct, yet no word of criticism has ever been officially uttered.

Lt. Col Alani Akinrinade would later leave the 2nd division and become the commander of the 15th brigade, over at the 3rd Marine Commando Division. On the 7th of October 1967, the Nigerian 3rd Marine Commando Division, under the command of Colonel Benjamin Adekunle, the black scorpion, disembarked from Warri for the port of Bonny. The Nigerians now planned to use Bonny as a 

launchpad for invading the city of Calabar, which housed one of the largest seaports in Biafra. Operation Tigerclaw was the codename for the military operation.

The Capture of Calabar

The city of Calabar was defended by the Biafran 9th Battalion under the command of Maj. Ogbo Oji who was also responsible for the defense of Biafra’s entire southeast coastline  from Opobo to the Cameroon border. On October the 17th, Biafran  defenses on the beaches of Calabar  came under heavy aerial and naval bombardment. The small but stubborn Biafran resistance was overwhelmed  but managed to retain control over certain parts of Calabar and its surrounding area.

Bloody hand-to-hand fighting ensued after Nigerian troops began to enter Calabar from 3 different positions. As a result, Maj. Oji was seriously wounded during the 

fighting and had to be evacuated to Umuahia  while his outnumbered troops retreated to new defensive positions on the outskirts of Calabar. He was later replaced by Lt. Col David Okafor. Okafor decided to wait for reinforcements 

before embarking on a counterattack.  He was soon joined by the Biafran’s 7th battalion, under the command of Col Festus Akagha. Upon arrival, the Biafran 7th battalion came under serious attack from the Nigerians Col. Akagha relayed a message to Ojukwu, stating that the situation in Calabar was hopeless and that they were in desperate need of assistance.

In the face of imminent devastation, Ojukwu sent some newly recruited white mercenaries  led by a french colonel by the name of Roger Faulques, but upon arrival, they also came under immediate attack from the Nigerians.

After suffering unusually high casualties, the Biafrans, along with their mercenaries, retreated to the north. Afterward, Roger Faulques and some of his men left Biafra and never returned.

And so, Calabar had been successfully captured by the Nigerians. The fall of the port city now blocked Biafra’s access to neighboring Cameroon. In December 1967, Col. Murtala’s 2nd Division,   along with the Nigerian 6th Battalion under Lt. Col. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua,  crossed the River Niger at Idah in a substantial convoy comprising multiple troop carriers,  armored personnel carriers, armored cars, and fuel tankers, along with an estimated 14,000 men.

In early January 1968, Col. Mohammed led a two-pronged attack on the axes of Udi and Adani. Forty miles south of Nsukka, the town of Udi was taken relatively easily by the Nigerians,  but from there the division ran into the Biafran 53rd Brigade under Col. Christian Ude. At Adani, Murtula’s troops attacked Col. Mike Ivenso’s Biafran 12th battalion. Colonel Murtala Mohammed, again displaying an astonishing lack of tactical originality,  punched forward with his forces moving in closed formations.

He sustained astronomical losses from the Biafrans,  who continued to harass them from the flanks and rear of the formation. However, the sheer weight of the 2nd Infantry Division drove forward and eventually succeeded.

Internation body stand on the Nigeria civil war

The International political opinion varied very little throughout the war. The major international powers remained generally sympathetic  but steadfast in their refusal to recognize Biafra. This movement was led primarily by Britain under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Britain claimed that its support for Nigeria was in the interest of the country’s economy. But a closer look at the map of Biafra indicates otherwise. Cause most of Nigeria oil was located n the east And the likes of Shell and British petroleum, then partly owned by the British government, was the largest producer of oil in the country. The war reminded the British of their biggest investment in the country,  which was: the Nigerian oil.

And so, the former colonial masters ended up providing the bulk of necessary war materials to the federal side. However, the British were reluctant to conclude any deals on aircraft, fearing an escalation of the war if modern fighter jets and bombers were introduced to the conflict.

This offered the Soviet Union the opportunity to tender its assistance. The Soviets supplied the Nigerians with a lot of aircraft but under the condition that they should only be flown by Egyptian pilots.  

In August 1967, President Gamal Nasser of Egypt sent some troops of the Egyptian Air Force to fight for Nigeria.

The tendency of the Egyptian pilots to indiscriminately bomb the Biafran civilians   proved counter-productive in the propaganda war as the Biafrans did their best to publicize cases of civilians killed by the Egyptians.

However, in the spring of 1969, the Nigerians replaced the Egyptian pilots with pilots from East Germany, who proved to be considerably more competent. The United States foreign policy on the matter, tended to follow   the British in terms of withholding recognition and support for Biafra.

But no organization influenced the International response more  than the Organization of African Unity. The official position of the OAU tended to be determined by the collective attitude  of the majority of two-thirds of its members, all of whom maintained that  the Nigerian Civil War was an internal affair.

With this, a general reluctance to accept the  breakaway region of Biafra ensued amongst most African countries. They felt that supporting any secessionist tendencies  would send the wrong message to minority groups in other states in Africa,  where the maintenance of colonial boundaries was extremely tenuous.

Only the Ivory Coast, Zambia, Tanzania, Gabon, and the Caribbean state of Haiti, formally recognized Biafra as a country.  Although France did not officially recognize the sovereignty of Biafra,  it provided weapons, mercenary fighters, and other assistance to Biafra. The French President, Charles de Gaulle referred to the situation in Biafra as a just and noble cause.

But as with all things relating to war, economics will surely have a role to play. The French Oil company, SAFRAP (elf), laid claim to 7% of the Nigeria’s petroleum supply. And since the majority of the country’s oil resources lie in Biafra, they felt that supporting the secession  might place them in a comfortable position  if it ended up becoming a reality. Biafra, for its part, openly appreciated its relationship with the French. On the 10th of August, 1967, Ojukwu made French a compulsory subject in secondary, technical, and teacher training schools across Biafra.

The Nigerian civil war was one of the first wars in Africa to be fought under the scrutiny  of international television and press coverage. As a result, images of Biafran children looking like stick figures with bellies swollen from a protein deficiency known as Kwashiorkor began to spread overseas.

It was a terrible sight to behold. Although, efforts were made by some foreign governments and aid, to deal with the crisis, it often proved extremely difficult because of the resistance from both the federal and the Biafran governments.

The federal government insisted that all aid operations within Biafra be coordinated from Lagos and that the deliveries and shipments be routed through Nigeria.

But the Biafrans would not agree to this, as they claimed that any food and aid shipments  delivered through Nigeria, will be laced with poison and therefore could not be trusted.  They in turn often used these images and clips of the starving child for general propaganda purposes  in an attempt to tip the diplomatic balance toward the recognition of key global powers. 

Although this strategy ultimately failed, it came reasonably close to succeeding on several occasions, particularly regarding the unofficial French recognition. Ojukwu felt that the use of starvation was a defended policy by the Nigerian government  and a tactic of the federal armed forces.

This is what Chief Obafemi Awolowo,  the Nigerian minister of finance had to say concerning the issue: “Everything is fair in war, and starvation is one of the weapons of war. I don’t see why we should feed our enemies fat for them to fight harder.”

The capture of Port-Harcourt

After the capture of Port Harcourt, Col. Benjamin Adekunle, the black scorpion, and his 3rd marine  commando division began to make plans for the capture of the remaining major cities in Biafra. The three on his mind were the cities of Owerri, Aba, and the Biafran capital of Umuahia. And thus the military action was codenamed Operation OAU.

Adekunle’s plan, arranged in a triangular configuration, was a simultaneous capture of the three cities. In August 1968, troops from the Nigerian 15th and 16th Brigade set up positions  along the Aba-Umuahia road, cutting off all food shipments from entering the city. The strategy for gaining Aba was to surround and starve the city into submission. On the 2nd of September, Nigerian artillery began shelling the city, while ground forces began to enter the city under heavy Biafran fire.

The Biafran 14th division came under heavy artillery bombardment from the  Nigerian 16th Brigade under the command of Col. E.A Etuk. For twelve days, bloody house-to-house fighting ensued, and as a result,  Colonel Philemon Shande, the commander of the Nigerian 17th Brigade was killed in battle.

After a lot of resistance, the Biafrans finally surrendered on the 4th of September 1968.  The city of Aba had been successfully captured. Again, the Nigerian 15th and 16th Brigade were charged with the responsibility of capturing the town of Owerri.

On the 13th of September 1968,  Biafran’s position at the town of Awarra suddenly came under fierce artillery bombardment. At the time, Owerri was defended by Biafra’s 14th division. After putting up a lot of resistance,  the Biafran 14th division finally abandoned the town of Owerri to the Nigerian 16th Brigade. After the capture of Owerri, Ojukwu appointed Colonel Ogbugo Kalu as commander of the Biafran 14th division  and reminded him of his failures in Port Harcourt.

Ojukwu commanded him to clear the enemies from Obinze, southwest of Owerri, in 24 hours, or tender his resignation from the army.A few hours after the command, Colonel Ogbugo Kalu ordered a Biafran counter-attack  and was able to halt the Nigerian advance and partially occupy Obinze.

The Battle of Umuahia

Thereafter, Colonel Benjamin Adekunle’s 3rd marine commando division now turned its eyes towards the Biafran capital of Umuahia. On the 18th of September, 1968, the 18th and 13th Brigade of the Nigerian 3rd Marine Commando Division began making their way towards Umuahia, but they were intercepted outside the city by a division of Biafran soldiers. For nearly two weeks, the two sides exchanged gunfire and artillery,  resulting in mass casualties on both sides. Because of this, Colonel Adekunle radioed in that he needed reinforcements  or his entire division would be at risk of annihilation, but they never arrived.

The Biafrans at Umuahia put up a formidable resistance, resulting in the deaths of over 20,000 soldiers from the 3rd Marine commando division. This amounted to two-thirds of the entire division.

On the 1st of October, the Nigerian 3rd Marine Commando Division had no other option but to retreat to Port Harcourt, leaving behind Col. Etuk’s 16th brigade in Owerri.

On the 7th of May 1969, a company of  Biafran commando raided an Italian-owned  oil installation near the town of  Kwale in the Midwestern region.  They heard that the oil workers were feeding Nigerian forces with sensitive information. Eleven workers, including ten Italians and one Jordanian, were killed in the initial assault. 

A further 18 foreigners were taken as hostage. Amongst these were: 14 Italians, 3 Germans, and one Lebanese. This operation, ill-conceived at the very least, was an absolute public relations disaster. Against a torrent of international protest, the oil field workers were tried and found guilty of supporting the enemy.

This incident caused an international uproar and temporarily weakened European sympathy for Biafra. In the following month, both Pope Paul VI, the Italian government, the United Kingdom, and the United States mounted concerted pressure on Biafra. Over the fates of 18 white men, Europe and America is moved, but over the deaths of millions of Africans during the war, they remained indifferent.

After receiving a personal direct mail from the Pope, Ojukwu pardoned the foreigners. 

The 18 men were released and flown out of Biafra  Over at the federal army headquarters in Lagos, the chief of army staff, Brigadier Hassan Kastina, and the commander in chief  of the Nigerian armed forces were putting finishing touches on plans for the final blow of the Biafran rebellion. 

In May 1969, Gowon replaced the competent Colonel Muhammed Shuwa with colonel Bissalla as commander of the Nigerian 1st division. Col. Murtala Muhammed is replaced with Col. Gibson Jallo as the commander of the Nigerian 2nd division. The commander of the Nigerian 3rd Marine commando division,  Col. Benjamin Adekunle, the black scorpion, is replaced by Col. Olusegun Obasanjo.

With great rejuvenation, the Nigerian army was now on its way to crush the Biafran rebellion forever. The recapture of Owerri by the Biafran forces was quickly followed by a deep southward thrust toward Port Harcourt.

The Biafrans continued to occupy the countryside between and behind federal positions. Col. Obasanjo spent the initial six weeks of his command containing a Biafran advance at Aba. Initially, his objective was first to retake Owerri, and then proceed to take Oguta, before finally moving towardthe all-important Uli airport, which was the safe haven of the Biafran resistance.

Cruch of Biafran

However, by November 1969, the Nigerian reconnaissance probes had begun to reveal gaps in the Biafran defenses. This convinced Colonel Obasanjo that a better option would be to  mount an advance on a broad front toward Umuahia to link up with the 1st Division, effectively cutting what remained of Biafra in half, before then turning west and advancing on Uli, by which point it could safely be surmised that the Biafran resistance would crumble.

On the 22nd of December, 1969, the 3rd Marine Commando Division attempted to link up with the 1st Division in Umuahia.They reached the city on Christmas day,  resulting in the dissection of the all-important food-producing region of Arochukwu in the east. Without pausing to break their stride, Col. Obasanjo and his men moved west toward Uli. The final battle between Nigeria and Biafra was about to take place. On the 7th of January, 1970, Col. Obasanjo’s 3rd Marine Commando Division, supported by the 1st and 2nd Divisions, launched the final offensive, codenamed Operation Tail Wind, against the remaining Biafran enclave.

In less than a day of fighting, the Biafrans were forced to surrender. While the Nigerian attacks continued, the Biafran leaders were having their final meeting. General Ojukwu announced his plans of traveling abroad in search of peace and handed over the Biafran presidency to his vice-president Philip Effiong.

On the 9th of January 1970, Ojukwu boarded a private jet and fled to the Ivory Coast. Two days later, the Nigerians took control of Arochukwu and the Uli airport. And so, the final enclave of Biafra, the land of the rising sun, had been successfully captured.

Biafran Surrender

The next day, the new Biafran president and his prominent officers called for a ceasefire and made their way to Owerri to broadcast their final surrender to Col. Obasanjo. After a few moments of cordial conversation, Col. Obasanjo accepted the offer for a surrender from the Biafrans. On the 15th of January 1970, Effiong flew to Lagos to officially announce the surrender, The Republic of Biafra ceased to exist.

I, Major General Philip Effiong, Officer of police administering the government  of the Republic of Biafra, now wish to make the following declaration. That we affirm that we are  loyal Nigerian citizens, and accept that the republic of Biafra, hereby ceases to exist.

The tragic chapter of violence is just ended. We are at the dawn of national reconciliation. Once again, we have an opportunity to build a new nation. You will have heard that my government may seek  the assistance of friendly foreign governments and bodies, especially in the provision of equipment to supplement our national effort.

There are however a number of foreign governments and organizations whose so-called assistance will not be welcomed. These are the governments and organizations which sustained the rebellion. They are thus guilty of the blood of thousands  who perished because of the prolongation of the futile rebellious resistance. They did not act out of love for humanity. Their purpose was to disintegrate Nigeria and Africa and to impose their will on us. 

Conclusion

The Nigerian Civil War resulted in an upward of over 100,000 military casualties, and anywhere between 1 to 2 million Biafran civilians, who died in one way or another as a consequence of the war. The latter figure varies wildly, but what is inescapable  is that a colossal price in human life and suffering  was paid in pursuit of national unity that remains as ill-defined today as it was then. Despite the rapid reintegration of the country  and concerted efforts on the part of Nigerians to put the past behind them, the question of unity would continue to plague Nigerian political rhetoric as the years proceed.

These tensions were overshadowed by the fact that the military remained in power after the war. Committed to unity and order, the military government was by no means democratic, becoming corrupt in every bit as the First Republic had been.

As Commander in Chief of  the Nigerian armed forces, General Yakubu Gowon went on to rule Nigeria for another 5 years, becoming the longest-serving head of state and ruling the country for almost nine years until he was overthrown by the former commanding officer of the 2nd Division, Brigadier Murtala Mohammed.

After 13 years in exile, Ojukwu was pardoned by the then president, Shehu Shagari, and allowed to return to the country as a private citizen.

He continued to take part in active politics and even contest to become the President of Nigeria in 1998 when the Country return back to civilian rule he later la to rest 26th of November 2011 when he died of a brief illness in the United Kingdom, at the age of 78.

He was accorded the highest military accolade by the Nigerian army during his funeral. During it lifetime many Nigerians debate why a man who provoke the only Nigeria Civil war which claim thousna dof life, we decide to join the politics he once reject a It is now over 50 years since the Nigeria Civil war, but the question of Nigerian unity still hangs in the balance.