CHAPTER FOUR

Confusion in Enugu, the Biafran Capital.

As the Nigerian Soldiers in the Mid-Western Region were consolidating their position in the now regained Mid-West, the Nigerian Army in the northern sector was pounding Enugu with MORTAR SHELLS while the Nigerian Air Force was dropping bombs around Enugu. The irony of all these happenings was that at this crucial and critical moment when the Government of Biafra could have ordered an orderly evacuation of civilians from Enugu, ‘Radio Biafra’ was broadcasting the wrong information to the populace. Although the Nigerian Artillery situated at Aboh Hills had started shelling Enugu sporadically, ‘Radio Biafra’ kept on announcing that the shelling originated from within Enugu and was being perpetrated by saboteurs sympathetic to Col. Banjo and Major Ifeajuna, and that these few saboteurs were being rounded up. Thus although there was ample time to evacuate orderly from Enugu, most people abandoned most of their life’s belongings in Enugu as it finally became obvious that the Nigerian Army was at the Enugu doorsteps. The Nigerian Army finally moved into Enugu on the eve of Nigeria’s 7th Independence Anniversary.

After that it became very unsafe to venture into Enugu Township and those of us who braved it to go in saw many dead bodies littered along the major streets of Enugu Metropolis. It was a horrible sight to behold. The Nigerian Army had taken the Enugu Airport and occupied the Biafran Army Headquarters on the Enugu – Abakiliki Road leading to the Enugu Airport. They were also occupying the 9th Mile Corner which is a strategic junction controlling the Nsukka – Enugu Road and the Enugu – Onitsha Road. The Enugu – Abakiliki Road was also blocked and the only escape route from Enugu was the Enugu – Agbani – Awgu Road.

As people moved out of Enugu, it was clear that the main Science Group had crumbled. As people moved away from Enugu in confusion, the first instinct was to run to their various hometowns. The Science Groups in Enugu knew that other Science Groups had sprung up in Port Harcourt, Aba and Owerri but were not contemplating joining them as people thought that from what happens in Conventional Warfare, once a Capital City of a Nation has been captured by the invading forces, the War automatically ends, So instead of going to join the other Science Groups in Port Harcourt, Aba and Owerri, they went to their hometowns to await the official announcement that the Nigerian Civil War was over, and to await the verdict that would be passed on the Science Groups.

While the Science Group was evacuating from Enugu and the “mock” trials and execution of Col. Banjo, Major Ifeajuna and “Civilian Major “ Alele were going on, the workers in Radio Biafra had succeeded in evacuating from Enugu and installing elsewhere the Radio Communications Equipment belonging to Radio Biafra. When the Nigerian soldiers finally consolidated in Enugu in the first week of October, 1967, there was the funny situation of two broadcasting stations seemingly broadcasting from the same town – ENUGU.

A typical event will bring out the absurdity and fun of the whole drama. Let us assume that the time is 13.00 hours (1.00 p.m.) which is the normal time for the National News Network Broadcasts in Nigeria. The Nigerian Newscaster in Enugu would say: “This is Radio Nigeria broadcasting from Enugu, the Capital of East Central State. Here is the News. The Nigerian Army has now taken full control of Enugu and is doing mopping up exercises in the adjoining villages. Meanwhile, life is returning to normal in the town and the Nigerian Red Cross is distributing food to the refugees who have whole-heartedly embraced the Nigerian soldiers who liberated them from Ojukwu’s clutches. A new Civilian Administrator, Mr. Ukpabi Asika, has been appointed by the Head of State, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon. Mr. Ukpabi Asika will soon move to Enugu to assume duties”

At the same time, on Radio Biafra (situated somewhere outside Enugu), the newscaster would say: “This is Radio Biafra broadcasting from Enugu, the capital of Biafra. Here is the news read by Okoko Ndem. The sporadic shelling you have been hearing in Enugu has been found to be perpetrated by saboteurs who planned to kill General Ojukwu, the Head of State of Biafra and to hand over Biafra back to Gowon. The locations of these saboteurs have been found out and the saboteurs are being rounded up. Please keep calm, be vigilant and go about your normal businesses. The ring leaders, Lt. Col. Banjo, Major Ifeajuna and Civilian Major Alele have been captured, tried and executed by firing squad. General Ojukwu, the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Biafran Armed Forces congratulate all those who assisted in flushing out all these saboteurs. Long live Biafra. Igbo Kwenu; Anyi ga adi kwanu? Eh, anyi ga adi. (English translation of the Igbo phrases are: “The Masses please respond; shall we all survive? Yes, we shall survive”).

This master plan of Biafra helped to confuse both the Nigerian and Biafran populace and thus gave the Biafran Armed Forces, General Ojukwu and his War Cabinet (which was now mostly dominated by Ojukwu’s close relatives and confidants) time to decide whether Biafra should surrender, whether the War should continue and what the new strategy for the continued execution of the War should be.

By early October, the Biafran forward troops were in the town of Agbogugu on the Enugu – Agbani Road and the new Tactical Headquarters had been moved to Awgu, a town on the Enugu – Okigwe Road. Awgu was a good town to use as a tactical headquarters because one road ran to Okigwe and the other road ran to Udi, which was another tactical headquarters that controlled the Enugu – Onitsha and the Enugu – Nsukka axes of the War.

With the new policy of fighting to the “last man”, no one knew how long the War would last. It was also too late for anybody who wanted to defect to the Nigerian side, to do so. There were mass killings of civilians in Enugu and it would have been fool-hardy for any educated man or woman on the Biafran side of the battle front to infiltrate into the Nigerian side to give himself/herself up to the Nigerian soldiers with Mr. Ukpabi Asika, the new Civilian Administrator of the newly “liberated East Central State” still resident in Lagos, the capital of Nigeria. The Nigerian soldiers would have shot that person outright before their senior officers would have realized that it would make good propaganda material to keep such people alive and to parade them before the Foreign Press, to show that indeed Enugu had been taken by the Nigerian soldiers and that the Biafran Intelligentsia had abandoned Ojukwu.

By this time a new phrase “Radio without Battery” had emerged in Biafra. It means passing on Government Information by word of mouth. Through these radios without battery, people learnt that the Tactical Headquarters on the Enugu – Okigwe Road was based at Awgu while that on the Enugu – Onitsha Road was based at Udi. People, who could, went to these tactical bases to be able to get the most recent news first hand. It was on one of such visits to the new tactical bases that some of the Enugu Science Group members confirmed from the Government and Army Officials that, indeed, the War was to continue.

Those of us who were at the Awgu Tactical Headquarters conferred among ourselves and came to the conclusion that, because of logistic problems, it would be very difficult to re-convene as a one intact group. We felt that the new War Strategy that was now going to be more of a guerrilla type, demanded that as many Science Groups as possible should be formed to service the many scattered Biafran Army locations. Transportation of finished weapons was becoming difficult as more and more vehicles had broken down and the spare parts were difficult to come by. In fact the Science Group decided to form Liaison Officers who would liaise with the various Biafran Commanders and bring back their requirements in Weapons and, as we found out later, also their requirements in Foods and Drinks. This was a good strategy that paid off very well and helped to cement the friendship and trust that emerged and stayed on throughout the rest of the War, between the Biafran Soldiers and the Science Groups (later renamed the Research and Production (RAP) Directorate. This trust helped to sustain the morale of the Biafran Soldiers which had floundered because of Ojukwu’s insinuations of disloyalty within the Rank and File of the Biafran Army. General Madiebo had in his book given the details of the destructive effects of those insinuations, which made the newly recruited Biafran Soldiers to distrust the seasoned former Nigerian Soldiers whom Ojukwu had appointed as the Biafran Commanders when the new “Biafran State” was created on May 30, 1967.

With the execution of Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, the Coordinator of the Science Group, the Group now preferred a Civilian as the new Coordinator. As mainly University people, they wanted to maintain their academic freedom to research into whatever they wanted; some also felt that Biafra would lose the War in the end, in fact had already lost the War! If they joined the Biafran Army officially as Ojukwu had wanted, they would be treated as War Criminals and Prisoners and therefore punished in the same way as the regular combatant Biafran Soldiers. As respected academicians who were committed to the Biafran Cause, Ojukwu could listen to them, whereas he could despise his Army Commanders as he often did when the going was bad. He could order his Army Commanders to fight a battle with insufficient weapons, but he could not order the Science Group around as long as they remained Civilians.

When Enugu was captured by the Nigerian Army and Ojukwu decided to continue the War, the new Capital of Biafra was moved to Umuahia. The main reason for this was that Port Harcourt was already being threatened by the Nigerian Third Marine Commandoes led by Brig. Adekunle (the Scorpion); Owerri was too near to Port Harcourt and hence to the Oil-bearing areas which were to become the hot battle grounds. Umuahia was better located strategically – there were the famous Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Agricultural Research Institute in Umudike with the research facilities needed for the weapons manufacture and for food production that was badly needed in the dwindling Biafra.; there was the famous Government College, Umudike which could also be used and there was the equally famous Methodist College, Uzuakoli close by. Finally, the late Dr. Mike Okpara, the one-time Premier of Eastern Nigeria, came from Umuahia and the one time Governor of Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Akanu Ibiam’s town was not too far away from Umuahia. By using Umuahia as Ojukwu’s new Headquarters (or indeed the new Capital of Biafra), these two important Biafran Citizens could be consulted on a regular basis.

‘Radio Biafra’ was situated on one of the hills (in Igbo language, a hill is “Enu-ugwu”; for short ENUGU) in Umuahia and so ironically, it was still correct to say “This is ‘Radio Biafra’ broadcasting from ENUGU”. So, throughout the rest of the War, ‘Radio Biafra’ continued to broadcast from “ENUGU”!

By early 1968, the Nigerian Armed Forces had completely overrun Enugu and its environs and repaired the Enugu Airport. Also by this time the Nigerian Air force had gotten equipped with Russian Bombers and Fighter Planes and some of these planes were sent to Enugu Airport as a backup to the Nigerian Army based in Enugu. Also the Nigerian Third Marine Commandoes under Brig. Adekunle (the Scorpion) had taken Calabar, consolidated there and were on the march to Port Harcourt. However, as there was alleged gross indiscipline within the Officers and the Rank and File of the Brigade, Brig. Adekunle was later replaced by Major Olusegun Obasanjo who was able to move the Third Marine Commandoes eventually into the Oil City of Port Harcourt where they established their base for the onslaught of Biafra from the Southern Flank.

The Nigerian Army based in Asaba had made many sorties to cross the River Niger and enter the Commercial City of Onitsha. Their several attempts were rebuffed by the gallant Biafran soldiers stationed in Onitsha and the surrounding villages. The Biafran soldiers has succeeded in damaging a substantial part of the Niger Bridge linking Asaba and Onitsha, so the Nigerian Army could not move into Onitsha in motorized columns. They therefore resorted to using boats and barges which were successfully sunk by the Biafran Artillery anytime the Nigerian Amphibious Brigade tried the river crossing.

In desperation, Gowon detailed the Second Motorized Brigade led by Brigadier Murtala Mohammed to try to get to Onitsha by the long land route from Enugu. Murtala Mohammed and this Motorized Brigade were well equipped with Tanks, Ferrets, APCs, and tankers of fuel to refuel the motorized columns as they tried to have an easy drive to Onitsha through Awka, Abagana and Ogidi into Onitsha. When the Nigerian Motorized Brigade reached Abagana, a town after Awka, tragedy struck them. A barrage of homemade rockets made by the Ezekwe’s Engineering Unit of the Research and Production (RAP) Directorate hit the Petrol (Gasoline) tankers in the convoy. The fuel tanks burst into flames instantly and the burning fuel tankers sprayed burning fuel on the other vehicles in the motorized column, including the vehicles carrying the ammunitions. There was total conflagration on a stretch of about one mile along the road leading from Abagana to Onitsha, causing so much damage that the Mohammed’s Motorized Column was put out of commission immediately. The surviving Nigerian soldiers had to escape back to Enugu before the Biafran soldiers and the villagers started their mop up operations to capture and kill the stragglers.

This was a real set back for the Nigerian Armed Forces and this incident eventually caused Murtala Mohammed his Command as he was recalled to Lagos. It is not unlikely that this loss of face caused a bitter rift between Gowon and Murtala Mohammed which later in 1975 caused Murtala Mohammed to overthrow Yakubu Gowon in a bloodless Coup de’tat.

With the tragedy on the Enugu – Onitsha Road and the unsuccessful attempts by the Nigerian soldiers to cross Asaba into Onitsha, the Nigeria Air Force equipped with the latest arsenals from the USSR decided on indiscriminate bombing and strafing of Umuahia Town and its environ, killing and maiming many innocent civilians.

Because Umuahia had become the new Biafran Capital, it was very well fortified with anti-aircraft guns and rockets (both foreign and homemade); therefore the planes did not achieve much damage of strategic areas but merely succeeded in harassing and killing innocent civilians. In the words of late Prof. Okoronkwo Ogan, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who was working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital at the time: “I have never seen so many corpses in my whole medical career as I saw in one day of those catastrophic bombings that April by the Nigerian Air Force planes manned primarily by cowardly Egyptian Pilots”.

The planes were flying so low that you could literally see the markings on the planes and envisage the cowardly pilots giggling at the poor hapless civilians running in confusion for their lives. The pilots devised a method of temporarily switching off their engines as they came into Umuahia to drop their bombs and to strafe the civilians. Because of this the Biafran Air force personnel engaged young Biafran Air force boys to mount their home-made rockets on the surrounding Umuahia hills which they were expected to fire anytime they heard the sound of the Nigerian planes before they temporarily switched off their engines as they made their sorties into the town. This worked as a warning signal to the seasoned Biafran Air force men with more sophisticated foreign boofer guns and ground-to-air missiles to fire at the low flying Nigerian planes.

The homemade rockets worked on being primed with car batteries, but the Biafran Scientists who made these rockets did not realize that these young Biafran Air force men were afraid of anything electrical and thought that a car battery could shock them to death just as the ordinary house electrical gadgets could paralyse them if they touched their sources of the electricity. So most times the young boys did not fire the homemade rockets to warn the Biafran Air force of the approach of the Nigerian planes.

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