[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. Two Fouga Magister and several Gloster Meteor were bought but never arrived to Biafra, being abandoned on foreign African airbases. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "Somewhere in the middle of the war," he said, "the Biafrans made some dramatic successes that gave us hope that we might hold the Nigerians until at least some help from outside came.". During an enemy counter attack at Umuabayi, our troops destroyed a Saladine and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). [citation needed], Some Europeans served the Biafran cause: German-born Rolf Steiner was a lieutenant colonel assigned to the 4th Commando Brigade, and Welshman Taffy Williams served as a major throughout the conflict. Owerri is now captured. I wasnt angry towards the Nigerian soldiers. By this time, we would have been competing with at least South Korea.". Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was its first federal prime ministerhe had held that position since 1957and Nnamdi Azikiwe became its president of the Senate, which was a largely ceremonial role. As a Biafran Army is was a Major and he commanded Biafran 11th division,11 battalion and Biafran S division respectively. Aguiyi Ironsi wherein Madiebo in the presence of Mobolaji Johnson (then Governor of Lagos State) warned Ironsi of an impending coup against him. Commander for GOC. "The Nigerians who were pursuing us were trained soldiers. The territory of the Republic of Biafra is covered nowadays by the reorganizedNigerian statesofCross River,Ebonyi,Enugu,Anambra,Imo,Bayelsa,Rivers,Abia, andAkwa Ibom. . Hunger killed more Biafrans than bullets and bombs. [32] The new currency went public on 28 January 1968, and the Nigerian pound was not accepted as an exchange unit. If he had slowed down and allowed some people who were with him to advise him properly, we would have come out better than we did.". 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. War-exposed men marry later and have fewer children. 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. An estimated 2,000 demonstrators presented the French ambassador with a letter protesting French assistance to Biafra. Mr Ago left the army and went in search of his family, whom he had not heard from in more than two years. 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 . On 17November 2015, the Abia state police command seized anIndigenous People of Biafraradio transmitter inUmuahia. Police and Army units from Kaduna had to be brought in to restore order. He was military administrator of Bornu state and retired as a Colonel of the Nigerian Army in 1999. Amilitary coup occurredduring which a mixed but predominantly Igbo group of army officers assassinated 30political leaders, including Nigerias Prime Minister, SirAbubakar Tafawa Balewa, and the Northern premier, SirAhmadu Bello. [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. 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. It is probably for this reason that the war is barely mentioned. We can get glimpses of Ezes activities shortly before the war and then in Biafra from the book, The Nigerian Revolution And The Biafran War, written by Madiebo (one of the 3 persons Eze had referred to earlier) in 1980 and published by Fourth Dimension Publishing Co. Ltd. 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. In the aftermath of the war, the Nigerian government did not want to impose any form of collective punishment. In the west the government had fallen apart in 1962, and a boycott of the federal election of December 1964 brought Nigeria to the brink of breakdown. [13], Biafra had a small improvised navy, but it never gained the success of the air force. The meeting did not end. It mainly operated in theNiger River deltaand along theNiger River. Ojukwu declared independence for the Republic of Biafra in 1966 following a spate of violence that occurred in the north of Nigeria against Igbo people. [26] A large amount of oil in the region also created conflict, as oil was already becoming a major component of the Nigerian economy. As a Biafran soldier, he commanded the Biafran 63 Brigade in the Owerri sector. [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. 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. 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? A starving Biafran family during the famine resulting from the Biafran War. Pregnant women were left behind by their husbands as they gave birth, she added. Biafra was formally recognised by Gabon, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Zambia. 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. Colonel Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the military governor of Eastern Nigeria during the Ironsi regime, became the Head of State of the Republic of Biafra and began establishing the infrastructure of a sovereign nation, including the minting of currency and establishing diplomatic relations with other nations. It mainly operated in the Niger Delta and along the Niger River.[14]. He released on bail on 24April 2017 after spending more than 19months without trial of his treason charges. Why the Republic of Biafra? "I think now that Ojukwu thought he was Jesus Christ. [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. He was a physics lecturer at UNN when the civil war began. But survivors like Adizua are cautious about the possibility of another war. "The war was an incredible period," said 82-year-old Mrs Nwanunobi. As we ponder the suggestion to set up "regional armies", there are lessons from that campaign that need emphasis if we are to learn from history and avoid repeating its mistakes. The Biafrans set up a small, yet effective air force. The currency of Biafra had been the Nigerian pound until the Bank of Biafra started printing out its own notes, the Biafran pound. Adizua also got his old job back at NEPA and was paid his full salary for the years he was absent during the war. But English was more widely spoken in Biafra, so translators were needed whenever French officials visited Ojukwu. 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. Recently, Anthony Okoro Eze who retired from the Nigerian Army as a Colonel passed on at the age of 80 years. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. On 15 January 1970, the conflict officially ended. Biafran conflict: A grandmother's perspective on the war. In the latter stages, a Southern FMG offensive managed to break through the fierce resistance.[23]. 140 Biafran Army Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE Collections Project #ShowUs Creative Insights Custom Content EDITORIAL VIDEO BBC Motion Gallery NBC News Archives MUSIC BLOG BROWSE PRICING BOARDS CART SIGN IN Editorial Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Westerners especially resented the political domination of the Northern Peoples Congress, many of whose candidates ran unopposed in the election. By far, Eze would be remembered in history for his heroic war efforts in Biafra. The coup eventually took place in July, 1966. They only had knives and cutlasses. 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. See Madiebo page 195. The countrys northeast bordered theBenue Hillsand mountains that lead to Cameroon. 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. As a Biafran soldier, he commanded the Biafran 63 Brigade in the Owerri sector. Luebering is Vice President, Editorial at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Despite his breakaway action, Ojukwu was accorded the highest military accolade and a funeral parade in Abuja. So, the propaganda of sabotage was sustained against Eze and others in order not to demoralize the civilian populace. "And he was disciplined. But at some point, the Nigerian army invaded Oguta, leading a blockade and preventing relief materials from getting into Biafra, and as a result, hundreds of people died of starvation. 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. "He thought he could do magic. They were painted in green camouflage and armed with two Matra Type122 rocket pods, each being able to carry six 68mm SNEB anti-armour rockets under each wing and had SwedishWW2reflex sights from oldFFVS J 22s. [19]In January1966, the situation reached a breaking point. Estimates of the number of dead from fighting, disease and starvation during the 30-month civil war are estimated at between. In September 1966,approximately 30,000 Igbo were killed in the north, and some Northerners were killed in backlashes in eastern cities. And they were glad that he had turned up with food. These events sparked the decision to secede, spearheaded by Ojukwu, who was then the military governor of the Eastern Region. After the war, bank accounts owned by Biafrans were seized and a Nigerian panel resolved to give every Igbo person with an account only 20 pounds. The . Widespread reports of fraud tarnished the elections legitimacy. A high ranking military officer called Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led the breakaway republic. [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. Mrs Nwanunobi met Ojukwu for the last time on 23 December 1969, when she lined up outside his office with her colleagues, to receive a Christmas gift and a handshake from him. People from Biafra gather during a worldwide demonstration organised by the Indigenous People of Biafra in 2014, federal governments policy of giving 20 pounds. He attended Government College Umuahia from 1949 to 1955 and was in Nile and Simpson houses respectively. To: Tactical Army Headquarters. [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. He was born on December 23, 1935. From: 56 Brigade. [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. Its primary responsibility was to provide technological support to the Biafran army, which was poorly equipped. 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. Prior to being a Biafran Army in May, 1967, Achuzie had been a soldier in the Nigerian Army. Nevertheless, the Igbo faced some devastating consequences, particularly economically as the Biafran currency that people had accumulated became worthless. After it ended, markets, schools, homes, and lives devastated by bombs and bullets had to be rebuilt. In the uncontrollable excitement of the chase, the Battalion cleared the entire town instead of clearing only the left side of it as was ordered. By way of background information, let me add that Government College, Umuahia by 1966 had produced thirteen mid-level and Senior Officers in the Nigerian Armed Forces. The ex-general died on Friday. Though peaceful, the protesters have been routinely attacked by the Nigerian police and army, with large numbers of people reportedly killed. The two columns were led by Colonel Shuwa and mostly northern officers. The Republic of Biafra had come to an end. Opinion: Why young Africans need to know their history. In 2009, MASSOB leader Chief Uwazuruike launched an unrecognized Biafran International Passport and also launched a Biafra Plate Number in 2016 in response to persistent demand by some Biafran sympathizers in the diaspora and at home. France provided weapons and mercenary fighters to Biafra and promoted their cause internationally, describing the situation as a genocide. Is climate change killing Australian wine? [7], During the war, Biafra tried to acquire jets. 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. 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. He had just finished grammar school and started training as a veterinary assistant at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in south-eastern Nigeria, when the civil war began. 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. Ojukwu himself remained in exile for 13 years. ", Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, pictured here in June 1968, was a charismatic figure, Nigerian troops seen in one of Biafra's main cities, Port Harcourt, in 1968 after fierce fighting, Hunger caused the deaths of many people during the conflict, When the war started, there was not a single weapon anywhere throughout Biafra. The Biafran War began in July 1966, and ended in 1970 after more than a million people had been killed, mostly from starvation. [50]MASSOB accuses Nigeria of marginalising Biafran people. The blockade against Biafra made essential commodities scarce, forcing women to make the treacherous two-day journey on foot to Afia Attack, a trading post behind enemy lines in Midwestern Nigeria. Mrs Nwanunobi spent much of the 1970s in Canada before returning to Nigeria in 1977, where she resumed work as a secondary school teacher. Almost every student he knew became part of the war effort. Okororie says she wished she had died, too. Some women on the trail were raped and killed by soldiers, while others died in bombing raids. 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.) Ojukwu died after a brief illness at age 78 in November, 2011. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Biafran soldiers advance towards a Nigerian army position 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. At the beginning of the war Biafra had 3,000soldiers, but at the end of the war, the soldiers totalled 30,000. New Nigerian newspaper page, 7January 1970. 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. Some Europeans served the Biafran cause: German born Rolf Steiner was a lieutenant colonel assigned to the 4th Commando Brigade, and Welshman Taffy Williams served as a Major throughout the conflict. "Even the Vatican sent representatives.". A few days later, she left the country for the Biafran office in Paris. The Biafran Armed Forces ( BAF) were the military of the Nigerian secessionist state of Biafra, which existed from 1967 until 1970. [2] No official support for the Biafran Army came from any other nation, although arms were clandestinely acquired. Her worry lifted when she learned that her boss had escaped in his private jet, and was granted asylum by Ivory Coast, a francophone country. Not a single round of ammunition held while enemy pressure continues ceaselessly for the past 48 hours. [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. Eze was recalled to field operations when the situation in the war front was becoming hopeless and propaganda alone could not win the war. 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. [52], On 29 May 2000, the Lagos Guardian newspaper reported that the now ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo commuted to the retirement of the dismissal of all military persons, soldiers and officers, who fought for the breakaway Republic of Biafra during Nigerias 19671970 civil war. Ogbugo Kalu, who died in February, 2004 was a former army officer who served in both the Nigerian Army and Biafran Army. The crisis was compounded by intercommunal clashes in the north and threats of secession in the south. In July 1966 northern officers and army units staged a coup. The final Biafran collapse began on December 24, 1969, when federal troops launched a significant offensive. Thus, the northern region of the country has aMuslimmajority, being primarily made up of territory of the indigenousSokoto Caliphate. Impacts vary with the age of exposure. "Plus the fact that we were hungry. 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. [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. Exposure to a primary education program mitigates the impacts of war exposure on education. 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. As with many other new African states, the borders of the country did not reflect earlier ethnic, cultural, religious, or political boundaries. The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, July 6, 1967 - January 13, . The scientist's wartime accomplishments had caught the attention of the Nigerian authorities and he was invited by the government to pioneer a special science and technology programme for the country. Shortly thereafter, federal troops entered Enugu, the provisional capital of Biafra, and penetrated the Igbo heartland. 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. Refugees flee the fighting in July 1968. 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. He was then posted to Signal Corps of the Nigerian Army. "I didn't want anybody to disgrace him.". 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. [51]Since August1999, protests have erupted in cities across Nigerias south-east. The bomb fell on my older brothers house, Okororie said of the missile that missed its target, an adjacent military encampment. He married Mrs. Joan Angelina Eze from Grenada, West Indies in 1960. Biafran Air Force commanders were Chude Sokey and later Godwin Ezeilo,[10] who had trained with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
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