The Little Country That Won’t Give Up
The world’s shortest-lived country was the tiny state of Biafra — or so it seemed. Six months ago, the Eastern Region of Nigeria, the home of 8,500-000 Ibo tribesmen, proclaimed itself a sovereign nation and plunged Nigeria into civil war. No country ever recognized Biafra, and the Nigerian federal navy soon choked its economy with a blockade. By October, federal troops sent to quell the rebellion had captured almost a third of Biafra’s territory, including the capital of Enugu, and sent the secessionist government fleeing into the region’s rain forests. The surprising fact is that Biafra is still operating as a country, and its government, if less visible, is more vocal than ever.
The government, headed by Oxford-educated Lieut. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, 34, has moved its headquarters south to the dreary provincial town of Aba. Ojukwu’s agents in Lisbon have bought millions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition, which reach the rebels at night via the Portuguese island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea. Biafran students recently organized noisy pro-secessionist demonstrations at the United Nations in New York and in downtown London. Biafra’s lone television station continued to end its program day each evening with a rousing chorus of We Shall Overcome.
Invasion Force. Outnumbered 2 to 1 and surrounded on three sides by a federal army that totals about 50,000 men, Biafra nonetheless seems ready to fight for the last inches of its turf. Pushed out of the Midwestern state, which they had seized in a daring raid, Ojukwu’s men have hurled back boatloads of troops trying to cross the Niger River after them. One big government ferry got stuck on a sandbar in midpassage; while searchlights lit it up, Biafran guns splintered it, and hundreds of men drowned. Elsewhere, the war has become a kind of ballet, with bands of roving soldiers often straying back and forth across each other’s lines for inconclusive skirmishes.
If any battle is to be decisive in the war, it will probably be fought at Port Harcourt. Situated 25 miles up a channel from Bonny Island, which is occupied by swarms of federal troops. Port Harcourt has the only major airport left to Ojukwu, who depends upon air shipments for arms and other vital supplies. Its loss would leave Ojukwu’s men tightly sealed in their Ibo heartland. To prevent a federal force from coming up the channel, the Biafrans have sunk a barge, cars, trucks and even a bus in it. But last week the federal army was preparing to navigate a vast network of secondary channels and creeks to reach Port Harcourt.
“Ibo Hunts.” The Biafrans are adamantly against surrender because they fear that they will be massacred. The killing of many thousands of Ibo in Northern Nigeria last year led to the civil war, and the Northern-dominated army has given Biafrans little cause to believe that they can escape the same fate. Major General Yakubu Gowon, the head of the federal government, has tried to keep his men in line, but without much success. Ragtag recruits who “mop up” after Gowon’s armies have joined local tribesmen brandishing machetes and cutlasses in “Ibo hunts.” In the Midwest, they rounded up thousands of Ibo and marched them into the bush for slaughter.
More than 50,000 people have been killed on both sides in the civil war, which has also brought thousands of refugees, mostly Ibo, from the rest of Nigeria crowding into already overpopulated Biafra. Ojukwu insists that Biafra’s sovereignty is not negotiable, has arrested 600 persons he suspects of plotting to bring about a compromise. For his part, Gowon does not seem to be demanding Ojukwu’s removal anymore, but does persist in his plan to carve the Eastern Region into three states, only one of which would be reserved for the Ibo. Weeks overdue, an Organization of African Unity mission recently came to Lagos to offer mediation. Its usefulness is limited because Ojukwu knows that the OAU regards secession as a dangerous precedent that might be tempting to tribal groups in other nations.
Recent Comments
- johnsonfranky86: help were my people day please we need to leave this countr...
- neoa: profetIfeanyi: thanks for response. This means no power-su...
- profetIfeanyi: Beyond the ordinary! The natural assertion of the worth of ...
- profetIfeanyi: A case from egoists dominance quest = Ibori problem, a case ...
- jaja: Markclint: We have to restrain ourselves from making cert...
- profetIfeanyi: "A stitch in time saves nine"! Of recent one does not get it...
- profetIfeanyi: Marclinct or what you call your name, what disturbs you is b...
- profetIfeanyi: Marclinct am still answering your question: I never even kno...
- profetIfeanyi: Truths are not bias! my profecy is showing itself:Reference...
- profetIfeanyi: What I see! The alert made about take over bid by some egoi...
February 4th, 2010 at 3:51 am
SCATTERED FACTS: Our problem started when the war ensumed, the war started as filled with revenge from the sins of few. Oneness believed as a perception by the colonial master died and cannever be repealed because a blood shed against the biafrans still cry unforgivenss which equals unforgiveness spirits that overwhelms the polity and nations that join as nigeria; the resultof Usman dan fodio ethics and modes of kill and dorminate tactics was used by Gowon: the quest in homicidal extermination: The crude, unprepared, and “blood is thicker than water” triggered war carried out by Ojukwu as he wept for the homicidal attention given to his dearest Igbo people was an unprepared and the crudest war ever recorded in history:even the cock were not civilized then; do you see any cock crow nowadays? Many Igbos died! The whole cocks never crow anyhow nowadays bcos they are at alert never to be caught and killed by their noise, so they tactifully play along: some succumb to the food they get and still wwlk on the grounds with one leg, with the second leg up; It was the crudest kind of war where Biafran soldiers almost killed with their bare hands and even dug holes to take over war vehicles because they lacked some. A war fought with a prepared so called giant of africa. This giant of africa it bears make other countries like libya to want to try it giantism one day. Technology makes a country giant not its “blooddful” of soldiers with alarming possible saboteurs that would soround it when the call for it to proof it giantism ensumes.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Ifeanyi or whatever you call yourselve, you are the one who maintains this website or you are close to who does so.Why did you keep blocking my access to reply you?You thought I have given up in exposing you and your fraudster master,Raphael Uwazurike(the lord kidnapper).Since Uwazurike was arrested,kidnapping in Igboland has drastically reduced if not eliminated entirely.This is a fact.
MASSOB today is a shadow of its former self because of the heinous activities of Uchnna Madu and Uwazurike who have now compromised themselves and are working hand in hand with the Nigerian police as informants against their fellow Biafrans.
Finally,why have you and your other pseudo names not been able to answer any of the questions I have been asking since I started posting in this forum?Why have you not investigated all these?Be man enough to provide answers to the questions I asked you guys on the dubious activities of your master Uwazurike(the mega fraudster)rather than resorting to name calling in order to divert attention.
February 6th, 2010 at 2:34 am
Markclint: Unlikely you will find big audience here.
Why do you zero in to Ralph Uwazuruike on THIS forum which belongs to Massob?
There are many groups looking for self-actualizing Igboland. Finally you don’t know which one is more effective. Why you don’t accept the existence of different groups and invest your energy in productive actions for Igboland?
February 6th, 2010 at 3:18 am
Marclint: I do not support any wrong doing and would die to save human who is at a point of death. I have that spirit to save like the super man you watch on TV. Some people have that kind of spirit. I would save a yoruba human or Hausa human, and Igbo human dieing in order to revive him or her, if I see such in any arena. I have done that in Lagos: I have saved a little boy and left, while the people at the scene were looking at me as am a little god, which iam. profetIfeanyi is a typical Igbo man for you. We aint tribalistic: The Igbos aint tribalistic, but seek the best option for the several nations joined as nigeria to development. 180million people is a quantity not a quality. The parents/country of such a children of 180million would be confused and cannot cater for them. They sought option such as the killings and extermination they think possible to such a gentle man like Uwazurike and shoot people like armed robbers when they have the un-ending sectarian crisis like the one in Jos. But I tell you the kidnappers in south-east is happening everywhere on nigerian soil:Marcklint don’t you see? The country is filled with either bribing or image tarnishing for money people, armed robbers, Abuja armed robbers who claimed to be your government (they kill when you try to divulge their secret without missing), fatherism vs. boyism killers squad for oneness of the country happening in various regions in the 6nations called nigeria.A country with one dorminant language, one blood, one purpose and one God thrive most in development and killing one another, than a divided one. I know you are aware that if Uwazurike is dead, it is blood spinning case, the typical Igbo man blood would spin for his brother, the wasting of great Igbo human resource such as the one found in Okadigbo’s case who tried to carry one nigeria in his head by faceless egoists and cabals fighting like usman dan fodio in his crude era of dominance prone trait is an issue of debate. I tell you the truth that the local, regional cum state boys of oneness for nigeria who can do anything ( I mean anything without fear because of guarantee that they will be arrested and covered up) are the ones in the bad image rebranding for Biafra and any regional governement that is not in their agenda platform with their kidnapping saga. Marclint, I hope you have understood my person a bit and why there is calm by the image tarnishing gang for onenes of nigeria against biafra with their kidnapping saga “mini palace coup” they carry out; and try and not ask this question again or I will see you as armed robber or assassin in this platform. Remain blessed Marclint, if you merit being blessed by Almighty God…in Jesus name! I hope you have never killed before because God abhore killers. We the Igbos are peace lovers: I will love all that give peace to the creatures, sons and daughters of God, on God’s planet Earth!
February 6th, 2010 at 3:58 am
Nigerians in seat of government are the nigerians we talk about. There is no any people-oriented government in nigeria. The government in nigeria is “who-know-who portfolio carriers”; others are “I-can-do-anything” for oneness of nigeria portfolio carriers. The more dangerous of them is the “I-can-do-anything portfolio carriers “. “I-can-do-anything portfolio carriers ” are money mongers and they are really fed with millions of dollars from “unity purse sourced from oil blocks” to kill, fabricate, cause disunity among regional and local peoples, change and sell names as cameleons, speak many nigerian languages, stage mini coups as kidnapping or mini palace coup in the southeastern zone to tanish images, and cause many secret uproars. That Biafrans kidnap is a false agenda that are propagated to call the international communities to hate the name Biafra. . God uses wise people in the world to discern the un-wise and systematic image tarnishing manipulations game(nigerian politics) by the illiterates in politics in a country called nigeria. This nigeria game or politics has gone international trying to co-opt clean countries like US to become unclean like them; examples are the Ibori in UK oneness boy in action for “project nigeria” agenda and the Atiku saga in US for oneness action for “investment nigeria” agenda. Also, international image tarnishing for Obama and Hillary carried out against their security status by Umar and co umbrella names. And others yet to exposed games! God’s world and word is complete. Every problem has a solution such as the problem biafra is suffering in the hands of evils in project nigeria…profet.
February 6th, 2010 at 4:20 am
Am a fan for the world powers, especially the US, a blessed country who has got enemies because they sealed in their status “In God we trust” and the enemies are trying to dominate their God, but because they are not allowed to dominate, the enemies start hating the God blessed land of US. nigeria, a loose nations, tried to bomb the people who were on their way to reach their home in order to enjoy christmas celebration and in order to tarnish image of Obama, Hillary and democrats rule beacause 1. experimental niger areas called nigeria feels it is a good way against the government of a black Obama failing to worship its giantism and embracing Ghana 2. and that Hillary came and ran her mouth on project nigeria or should say they felt it was a PDP vs. Democrats rule image war, so they took a revenge with sacrificing little Almajiri umar…profet.
Marclint in days such as ours we read every pages spiritually, if your spirit is clean for humans living on God presupposed peaceful earth, you can see beyond the way ordinary human sees. It is written that at age such as ours the young ones we dream dreams; and it does mean seeing beyond their awake physical self at an age such as now. OPEN YOUR EYES!
February 6th, 2010 at 5:25 am
What I see!
The alert made about take over bid by some egoists in a loose country called nigeria has quenched the fire the egoists tried to ignite. The motion and emotion that sets in about Yaradua’s sick from sins of his evil deeds and his supported evil deeds, is not rational. By conduct of his action for being in sick bed, the vice should be at work on his behalf: this is the tenet of office holding: iliteracy is a wound. But it is irrational for the public not to hear what are supposed to be public to them.
The case about Yaradua is a family medical planning with his loving wife: Yaradua and wife thinks it is the best time to change himself and his health with the rights and resources at his disposal because it now or never: manipulated governement at the detriments of its subjects, what do you expect, it is what is at work?
A cabal came out to let the supposed acting vice president to know he was in charge and not the acclaimed sick president, as he claimed, I put him there for a honor and for a moral…hahahah…seems i got! nigeria is a real project for social scientists scrutinies.
But the old religious man is there praying and trying to become a new born baby boy at a medical centre, so that he can have the belly and health to eat the wealth he has garnered with his selfish and illiterate charm prone wife, on the other hand, he still feels he can still make a big game of fatherism for boyism cum girlism at Abuja level with Abuja manipulated/appointed to manipulate his seat to more four years…The Pharos=Nigeria governement, and the nations are the people with different Gods. I pray Pharos to leave the people of Biafra alone to trigger the properity and light in their God blessed lands.
February 6th, 2010 at 6:51 am
Truths are not bias!
my profecy is showing itself:Referenced, “http://odili.net/news/source/2010/feb/5/834.html”
“Kidnapping: Akpabio accuses opposition politicians.”
“…He vowed to deal with any politician found to be sponsoring terrorism in the state in order to cause tension and gain cheap political ends..” “…He vowed to deal with any politician found to be sponsoring terrorism in the state in order to cause tension and gain cheap political ends…”
Hope you see, people never want to let some properous states to live at their God given peaceful pace. What a truthful government with no fear of man, but God in him.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Marclinct am still answering your question: I never even know or seen this site consturctor or administrator: I love it like the way I love SR, but I do not know if SR is going tribalistic as they do not publish everything; and am a true son of a true Igbo man with Igbo people at heart. True people love true options to show their love and show their gift which are either spiritual or physical. People that God has blessed like me who never depends on governement nor cry for what they can give me are very swift with prayer to God because we say our heart and become possible prey for the un-conscientious minds. God love Biafrans and we prosper in anything we lay our hands on!
February 7th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Marclinct or what you call your name, what disturbs you is because may be you have a yoruba or hausa girlfriend. We all have friends from other regions, I have many friends than you do and love people to be happy more than you. Try and read spiritually, you put more of your physical self to reading pages on issues that pattern to human living: If you love human do not just read books that concern human living like the way you read love novels. Uwazurike has to act like a lion in order to live long: He does not need to kill to do that, and I know he is a gentle man; and the leader in him makes him feel they way you think. I prophecy and warned in this platform that there was a “mini coup” against him and it is happening now and many things like APGA winning was also strongly prophecied here on this platform and it is happening. You see when Ojukwu started, I believed with knowing what obtains in our environment today, he faced many saboteurs and i quite feel that is one biggest wound in his being the Moses of the Igbo then and even now. Do you know how Moses behaved in Bible when he was given a mandate to move the people of Isreal? It was a taugh thing for him and he even carved out many means to make the people behave right as during the period BC. In order to survive and live long like Mandela, a freedom fighter has to be so swift, so strong, so prayerful, and intelligent. It is not a butter and bread thing come to talk in a loose nations called nigeria where there is heavy corruption, manipulations and killers who shoot people like bats. I just want to let you know that the way forward is making nations that are up to 9 to 10 million people to be country at their own pace in the project nigeria country. As we are here chatting a course for way forward of the loose nations called nigeria, they are busy trying to pry the netwrok, ports and position of us to get us assassinated, but it is a rubbish game, I mean rubbish.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Markclint:
We have to restrain ourselves from making certain accusatory statements. While we believe in the free flow of ideas and speech, we should temper it with civility - afterall that is what we in the East are known for.
Lets share ideas and thoughts without blatantly inflammatory statements and accusations on this forum.
Your anger should not be so deep that you lose all form of composure. That is not civilized.
Also, there are other forums out there that you can make your feelings very well know, that is perfectly alright. No one is restricting you to the MASSOB Forum.
March 5th, 2010 at 6:30 am
help were my people day please we need to leave this country can.t you people see