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"I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia

- Politics Nairaland
(http://www.nairaland.com/409240/handed-biafra-over-obasanjo-achuzia)
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"I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by maxsiollun: 4:05am On Mar 07, 2010
Danjuma instigated the killing of Ironsi, Fajuyi Joe Achuzia
Sunday, 07 March 2010 00:00 Nigerian Compass
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Beyond being one of the major actors in the Nigerian Civil War, Colonel Joe Achuzia (rtd.) is
a very popular figure. In this revealing interview with EMMANUEL AGOZINO, Achuzia,
popularly known as the Biafran Hannibal, talks about some of the other actors in the Civil
War, including Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu; former President Nnamdi Azikiwe;
former military Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi; and former Minister of Defence, General

Theophilus Danjuma. Excerpts:

You were said to be a man that fought the civil war without rules. While some see that as
barbaric others take to you be a hero. Who is Colonel Joe Achuzia?
Well, I dont know about being great. All I know is that in history, every society passes
through one phase or the other. It is only those phases that leave indelible marks on society
that make for remembrance. And within the issues of remembrance, people now realise the
activities that led to it. As part of these activities, certain persons are usually identified with
that cause. It is in the process of this identification that certain names takes prominence, not
because they are the best, but because within their activities, they left mark as a signpost for
the remembrance of the activities that took place at that time. Fortunately, I seem to be
identified in one of these activities. Anybody familiar with Nigerias history from
independence will easily identify the landmarks, the memorable incidents that stand out in the
history of this country. One of those is the three and half years civil war out of which at the
end of it, names were bandied about and mine is one of those names. But luckily, I am still
alive not only to help correct all the misinterpretation that some people assigned to me, but
also let todays generation know the roles that I played and also refute any false information.
For me, these were the things that singled me out. But otherwise, there is nothing that I did.
Regarding the allegations that I fought the civil war without rules, others have done even
worse.
What will you say about the recent statement credited to General T.Y. Danjuma that late
General Aguiyi Ironsi, who was killed as a military Head of State, was a useless man. What is
your reaction?
You see, when I read Danjumas statement, I felt very sad about it. First, go and do your
research and you will realise that what I am going to tell you is the truth. In the 2 Division, it
was this Danjuma, then a Captain in the then Nigeria Army, who was responsible for
organising the security of General Ironsi. It was his job. So, if Danjuma turns today and
tells the world that he did not know about how Ironsi and Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi were
killed in Ibadan, it will be a very big lie. If you want me to put it straight, it was because
of the opposition of the unitary system declared by Ironsi that Danjuma organised his
elimination along with Colonel Fajuyi in Ibadan. So, Danjuma cannot in all honesty deny
that he was not the chief instigator of the killing. [/b]We were all living witness. I was in
Lagos when the incident happened. So, I am not telling you a myth or what I did not
know. It is this same group who killed Ironsi and Fajuyi in Ibadan that up till today are
benefiting from the unitary system that Ironsi set up. Can you imagine. It is out of this
same cabal too that the so-called Kaduna Mafia sprang up. I am not saying that it is all
Northerners that wanted the total elimination of the Igbo during civil war period. But
when we talk in terms of what Danjuma did, I know what I am saying. That is his
character. [b]It was just the way he killed Ironsi and Fajuyi that he betrayed the late
General I.D. Bisala. He denied Bisala when Bisala needed him the most during the coup
that killed Genral Murtala Mohammed. If he is a soldier, he should have stood his
ground as the GOC of the 3 Division. But instead, he did not. Let me say that when we
talk in terms of military courage and bravery, rank does not bestow courage on people. I

like Danjuma. But he cannot deny the fact that he was the chief instigator of the murder
of Ironsi and Fajuyi. History will continue to hold him responsible for that. When the
war ended, he was the go between me and Bisala, especially in Enugu, when I was
handing over Biafra to the federal side.
Are you saying you were the one that handed over Biafra to the federal side?
Yes.
But many believe that General Philip Effiong handed over Biafra to General Olusegun
Obasanjo. Is that not correct?
No, it is a mistake that many people are not aware of up till today. I was the one who
handed over Biafra to Obasanjo and Bisala. Effiongs role was going to Lagos to meet
General Yakubu Gowon with some of our Biafran officers. And also reading the script
which I prepared. I planned it that they should start from 9a.m. announcing that we had
sent emissaries to the war fronts to meet Nigerian commanders so that everybody should
lay down their weapons. That speech that we prepared was given to Effiong to read
because if I should do that, the Nigerian side will misinterpret it that possibly there was
a coup in Biafra. So, to avoid that misinterpretation, we had to ask Effiong to read it.
Because when Odumegwu-Ojukwu was leaving, he specifically told Effiong to represent
him, while my job was to take care of the Army. I was the person in charge of the Biafran
Armed Forces. So, I was the one that actually handed over Biafra and not Effiong.
Again, when the war ended, I was very visible. For instance, all the documents that
Danjuma said that Gowon requested that I should sign, I signed them all. These included
when Danjuma said that Gown asked that I should prepare a document of what I would
like to do. I did all that and part of that document was what later led to the establishment of
PRODA in Enugu. I also reported at the Board of Inquiry headed by the then General
Adeyinka Adebayo. There I was told that one of the reasons why I was being detained was for
the protection of my life. But I asked them, Protection against who? Well, they said that so
many people were against me, especially the way I ended the war. So, for tempers to cool,
according to them, I was kept in detention for seven years. But for me, I have always said that
I dont have any regrets over the war. Beside, I owe it as a moral duty to those whom I led
through the war, especially with their situation today. They have not been compensated.
That is why we have today the Civil War Veteran, East West Command Association. The
purpose is to look after the welfare of those comrades who survived the civil war. But as I am
talking to you, up till today, none of them is less than 56 years and nothing has been done to
help them. We are taking steps to bring their problem to the attention of the present
government. I have written to President Umaru YarAdua. I have also written to the Ministry
of Defence and to the President of the Senate, David Mark, that on the basis of no winner no
vanquished, Nigeria owes it a duty to rehabilitate those veterans across the country as done in
other parts of the world. The situation can be dangerous in the future if the government
continues to exhibit lack of concern. Many people today may not know that those militants
in the Niger Delta are all children of the war veterans. The members of the Movement
for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) are children of the
veterans. We dont want a divided Nigeria again. We as veterans of the war gave a lot for the
Nigeria we have today. All we are asking is that the government should look into the welfare

of these veterans. If you look at the present military command in the country, none of them
saw the civil war. War is not good. And that is why we have been calling on the government to
also take a census of the war veterans on both sides of the war and create a programme in the
interest of reconciliation as the Army that fought the war is the Nigerian Army divided against
itself based on the side one was standing at the time of the political logjam.
Now, 43 years after, do you think that the issues that caused that war have been resolved?
You see, it sounds naive when one talks about solving the issues that led to that war. There
were multitudes of problems and issues that led to the civil war. While some are of the view
that the January 1966 coup, led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Major Emmanuel
Ifeajuna and the others, were the issues that led to the war. others tell you that the way Ironsi
handled the issue of the coup by declaring a unitary system as opposed to the federating
system in existence then led to the war. There are others who hold that it is the unbridled and
the so-called ambition of appointing military administrators to take the place of political
leaders. Also, there are those who say that the mismanagement by Gowon after the second
coup, which brought Gowon into power and led to the balkanization of Nigeria from the
regional arrangement into states, caused the war. But whatever the cause, the war has been
fought. To me, the greatest problem was the balkanization of Nigeria by Gowon without
thinking of the future consequences. He did that to weaken the Igbo. But it turned out to be the
root of whatever crisis that Nigeria is facing till today. By trying to take the so-called
minorities away from the Igbo, when they claimed that the Igbo were dominating, he
eventually opened their eyes like Oliver Twist. Whoever gave Gowon that advice gave him a
wrong one because from then on the spiral effect brought Nigeria to the 36 states which we
now have. The cumulation of all these, I will say, are parts and parcel of what in retrospect led
to the civil war. If Gowon did not create the 12 states, I do not think that the Eastern Region
would have declared secession because there is nothing like dialogue. And that was exactly
what happened. Gowon should have continuously kept seeking for dailogue.
But instead, he was advised to settle the situation the way he did by balkanizing the country.
And once you do that, the peoples temper will rise. So, today, Nigeria cannot be at peace
because the issues that led to the civil war have not been addressed. What do we have? We say
we are practicing democracy, but here in Nigeria today what we have is a democracy of the
cabals. It is these few cabals that are ruling the country. They have been doing so since the end
of the war. And until the country wakes up to say enough is enough, the situation will
continue. Hence, corruption will abound. It is only under the system of cabal leadership that
certain people are favoured. And these few who are favoured will continue supporting the
existence of the cabal government at the expense of the majority. If you look very well, you
will see that many people do not understand what Wole Soyinka is trying to do. Knowing the
deception that we call Nigerian democracy today, Soyinka has been doing his best trying to
tell Nigerians that they should not allow themselves to be cowed into slavery. Because he is
not a back seat General. That is why he comes to the front to tell Nigerians to say no to bad
leadership that is going on in this country since after independence. For about two months
now, all of us are seeing that what is happening with the leadership of this country.

There has been this controversy over the role Nzeogwu played during the first coup. While
Odumegwu-Ojukwu keeps saying that it was Ifeajuna that was the leader of the coup,
others say it was Nzeogwu. As one who saw it all, who actually was the leader of that coup?
You see, Nigerians have a way of mismanaging information. One person alone does not carry
out a coup in the Army. A coup is a concerted arrangement by a few persons of like minds and
ready to participate in overthrowing a system. So, the coup of January 1966 was carried out by
a group of Army Majors. You cannot put it on one person. Otherwise, you are simply giving a
dog a bad name to hang it. To say Nzeogwu, it means Nzeogwu and his group. Ifeajuna and
his group. To be honest to your question, Ifeajuna and Nzeogwu were actually together in the
plan and execution of the coup. Consequently, if the coup had succeeded, Nzeogwu or
Ifeajuna could not have led the country or even Victor Banjo who was a part of that group.
[/b]So, all that is important is that the coup took place and that these names were the
leaders of the coup. Any other person from the side that didnt participate at that
crucial time is not a part of the coup. Any other information is an after thought.
Unfortunately, those that led the 1966 coup and participated, you only have the junior
ones left. They were not the primary leaders. As a result, I would advice that the January
event should be consigned to its proper place and perspective, that this an aberration
that took place at a point in time in Nigerian history. It is not a situation to continue
apportioning blames or encomium.
What do you mean by consigning it to its proper place?
I say this because as long as we continue to apportion blame or look at it as an Igbo coup,
we will not come out of the morass of the problem posed by the coup. You know that
after the coup, it had a wide ripple effect. Because the North felt that it was an Igbo
affair and consequently in their usual characteristics way, they descended on the Igbo
without first trying to find out exactly what happened. They reacted as a mob without
thinking. That mob action has since then placed Nigeria in jeopardy. The result was
finally a coup in which Danjuma and Gowon emerged. Gowon then became the Head of
State. But the funny thing about it was that they did not carry out the coup for
enhancing the interest of Nigeria. They did it on the basis that they wanted to secede
from Nigeria. Hence the word Araba (Lets divide). It was very clear that even Gowon in
his first speech he delivered made it clear that there was no basis for unity. But
unfortunately, he took the advice of the civil service dominated then by the Southerners
to advice him that it is not in the interest of the North to pull out of the federation. It was
this same people that advised Gowon that the best way to bring the Eastern Region to its
knee was to balkanise it. But before he did that, information was also leaking to the
Eastern Region Government. And the reaction of the East was no, we are one. If you say
you do not want us, we will go on our own by any name. If you look at the situation
critically, you will see that the Eastern Region was pushed out. They were being pushed
out for purposes of total elimination. That was the beginning of the genocide. Otherwise,
there wouldnt have been the need to cut them off from the sea, air and land or get them
landlocked. It was for this purpose that Bakasi was given out to Cameroun so that they
will not give space for Biafra to retreat into Cameroun.

You mentioned Banjo. Where do you stand on the trial and execution of Banjo and his
group during the war?
Banjo and his group were tried under military procedure in line with the Biafran laws. I
dont think that it should be a thing for apportioning blames to anybody. They violated
the war rules and laws at that time. And they were tried accordingly. Anybody could
have fallen into that line. So, it was the laws at that time. And it was approved based on
the orders of a military tribunal. So it is not a thing to blame anybody.
Many people have blamed Odumegwu-Ojukwu for the way Biafra was defeated. Secretary
General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ralph Uweche, recently said that Odumegwu-Ojukwus way
of leadership was responsible for the collapse of Biafra. Do you agree with this?
Biafra was never defeated nor collapsed. It is not true that Biafra was defeated. That is
what many do not know.
Are you saying that Biafra was not defeated by Nigeria?
Yes.
What explanation do you offer for this?
Yes, I will do. Let me tell you the truth. You journalists must always do your research
properly to educate the public. You should also look into the choice of words. You see, I
repeat it again: Biafra was not defeated. It was not the Biafran Army that was
responsible for the war efforts during the conflict. The efforts were handled by civilian
populace. The soldiers were recruited to defend the civilians. The arms were provided by
the civilians. In the executive council of Biafra, there were only two military personnel:
Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the Head of State and Effiong as the Officer-in-Charge of
Defence. The rest were all civilians. Those civilians were the ones who, when OdumegwuOjukwu left to attend the crucial meeting in Liberia, came to me and requested that I
should stop the war. Today, there are living witnesses to what I am telling you. These
include former Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice P.K. Nwokedi. He was one of those who
came with Sir Louis Mbanefo and others to request that I take steps to stop the fighting.
Initially, I was against it. But then I was reminded and made to understand that it is not
my personal war. So, as a soldier, I have to obey the orders and demands of the Biafran
Executive Council to stop the war. Another living witness is Obasanjo.
He is still alive. When I sent for him from Owerri, it was to my house he arrived. General
Alani Akinrinade was the one I signalled to tell Obasanjo to come to Uga in Orlu
Division. He and then Lt. Col. Sam Tumoye were at our headquarters when we discussed
how to bring the war to an end. It was from my house that I took Obasanjo to meet
Effiong at Igboukwu, which used to be the headquarters of the Biafran Directorate of
Military intelligence. General Akinrinade is still alive and can testify to what I am saying.
Nobody defeated Biafra. Commonsense will have tell you the truth. If they defeated
Biafra, the federal side would have demanded our weapons. In my own case, I asked all

my soldiers to go home with their weapons. Those that dont want it should dump them
by the roadside. Some handed them over to us. The truth is this. For a long time because
of the laws in the archives of the military, what I am telling you today was kept under
cover and secret. The essence is to give Nigeria a chance to formulate a new society where
all can live in peace. But unfortunately, what I see now is that the issues that led to that
armed struggle is yet to be addressed. And instead of addressing this issue so that Nigeria
can have a good future, our leaders are still pursuing selfish interest. It is such that even
in their presence, the Niger Delta struggle is rising every day.
[i]How true is it that when people say that former President Nnamdi Azikiwe was against
Biafra?
[/i]Going down memory lane, [b]Zik was never a tribal person. He is not an Igbo leader.
He only looked at the country from a global point of view. That was why he stepped aside
for Dr. Michael Okpara. His presence in Biafra was more accidental than of necessity. We
knew what we did and to what length we bent backward for him to stay in Biafra. The only
opportunity we allowed him to step out of Biafra merely brought Biafra into a civil war
within itself. This, we had to quickly, on Odumegwu-Ojukwus advice, militarily run around
with the various administrators of the various local governments to avoid a war between the
Zikist and the non-Zikist.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 4:30am On Mar 07, 2010
^^^
This is explosive stuff!
I'm still reading and taking notes. I'll be back to make comments . . .
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by jumobi1(m): 4:38am On Mar 07, 2010
its a known fact. Danjuma killed Ironsi
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 4:43am On Mar 07, 2010
^^^
So many other things were not known. For instance, many of us still don't understand how
Biafra was "defeated". It turns out Biafra was NOT defeated or collapsed. That is a big
difference! I have often wondered why Biafra was the only the rebellion that was defeated in
Africa (before Unita of course). Others never stopped until they got some of what they were
fighting for. Now I understand better.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 4:45am On Mar 07, 2010
The topic is not appropriate. It should read "Biafra not defeated" or something closer to that!
May be it should read "how the war was ended".

Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 4:47am On Mar 07, 2010
Biafra was never defeated nor collapsed. It is not true that Biafra was defeated. That is
what many do not know.
Are you saying that Biafra was not defeated by Nigeria?
Yes.
What explanation do you offer for this?
Yes, I will do. Let me tell you the truth. You journalists must always do your research properly
to educate the public. You should also look into the choice of words. You see, I repeat it again:
Biafra was not defeated. It was not the Biafran Army that was responsible for the war efforts
during the conflict. The efforts were handled by civilian populace. The soldiers were recruited
to defend the civilians. The arms were provided by the civilians. In the executive council of
Biafra, there were only two military personnel: Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the Head of State
and Effiong as the Officer-in-Charge of Defence. The rest were all civilians. Those
civilians were the ones who, when Odumegwu-Ojukwu left to attend the crucial meeting
in Liberia, came to me and requested that I should stop the war. [/b]Today, there are
living witnesses to what I am telling you. These include former Enugu State Chief Judge,
Justice P.K. Nwokedi. He was one of those who came with Sir Louis Mbanefo and others
to request that I take steps to stop the fighting. [b]Initially, I was against it. But then I
was reminded and made to understand that it is not my personal war. So, as a soldier, I
have to obey the orders and demands of the Biafran Executive Council to stop the war.
Another living witness is Obasanjo.
He is still alive. When I sent for him from Owerri, it was to my house he arrived. General
Alani Akinrinade was the one I signalled to tell Obasanjo to come to Uga in Orlu Division. He
and then Lt. Col. Sam Tumoye were at our headquarters when we discussed how to bring the
war to an end. It was from my house that I took Obasanjo to meet Effiong at Igboukwu, which
used to be the headquarters of the Biafran Directorate of Military intelligence. General
Akinrinade is still alive and can testify to what I am saying. Nobody defeated Biafra.
Commonsense will have tell you the truth. If they defeated Biafra, the federal side would have
demanded our weapons. In my own case, I asked all my soldiers to go home with their
weapons. Those that dont want it should dump them by the roadside. Some handed them over
to us. The truth is this. For a long time because of the laws in the archives of the military, what
I am telling you today was kept under cover and secret. The essence is to give Nigeria a
chance to formulate a new society where all can live in peace.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 4:53am On Mar 07, 2010
We also thought that Effiong surrendered to the Nigerian side. NO! It was Achuzia that did!
Effiong only put final authority to it as the head of state -in Lagos when he met Gowon. The
most dangerous part was to meet the Nigerian side first, and Achuzia did that.
A little difference.

Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 4:56am On Mar 07, 2010
To me, [b]the greatest problem was the balkanization of Nigeria by Gowon without thinking
of the future consequences. He did that to weaken the Igbo. But it turned out to be the root of
whatever crisis that Nigeria is facing till today. [/b]By trying to take the so-called minorities
away from the Igbo, when they claimed that the Igbo were dominating, he eventually opened
their eyes like Oliver Twist. Whoever gave Gowon that advice gave him a wrong one because
from then on the spiral effect brought Nigeria to the 36 states which we now have. The
cumulation of all these, I will say, are parts and parcel of what in retrospect led to the civil
war. If Gowon did not create the 12 states, I do not think that the Eastern Region would have
declared secession because there is nothing like dialogue. And that was exactly what
happened. Gowon should have continuously kept seeking for dailogue.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 5:05am On Mar 07, 2010
It was this same people that advised Gowon that the best way to bring the Eastern
Region to its knee was to balkanise it. But before he did that, information was also leaking
to the Eastern Region Government. And the reaction of the East was no, we are one. If you say
you do not want us, we will go on our own by any name. If you look at the situation critically,
you will see that the Eastern Region was pushed out. They were being pushed out for purposes
of total elimination. That was the beginning of the genocide. Otherwise, there wouldnt have
been the need to cut them off from the sea, air and land or get them landlocked. It was for this
purpose that Bakasi was given out to Cameroun so that they will not give space for Biafra to
retreat into Cameroun.
And we have been on our knees ever since!
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by biina: 5:08am On Mar 07, 2010
@Onlytruth
Do you plan on duplicating the entire article?
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 5:10am On Mar 07, 2010
^^^
Just commenting on key points. . . Sorry if I appear to be duplicating. . .
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by bk/babe97: 5:56am On Mar 07, 2010
@ Onlytruth: Say after me, slooowwllly. . . . "BIAFRA WAS ANNIHILATED!!!!"
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by jumobi1(m): 6:14am On Mar 07, 2010
bk/babe97:

@ Onlytruth: Say after me, slooowwllly. . . . "BIAFRA WAS ANNIHILATED!!!!"

You are pretty DAFT!
Why talk like that about such a touchy issue?
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 6:22am On Mar 07, 2010
jumobi1:
You are pretty DAFT!
Why talk like that about such a touchy issue?
Ol'boy please ignore the akata. He is known here for his infantile imbecility. Some Igbo dude
impregnated his mum and ran away. Now he thinks through his 'as's'hole. The key is to
completely ignore him.
Back to topic. When i was in school, we used to wonder how the war ended and how it was
that even Sierra Leonian rebels under "General Mosquito" pinned down the Nigerian army in
freetown and basically kept moving anywhere they chose. I later started suspecting that some
people simply abandoned the war in Biafra. It never made sense, as Achuzia said. How can
you even defeat a rebel army in Africa? Even MEND is outperforming Nigerian army in the
creeks, not to talk of a larger and more motivated force. So now, I have also come to
understand why Achuzia was kept in detention for 7 years after the war. He knew too much
about what happened!
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by jumobi1(m): 6:36am On Mar 07, 2010
I think Biafra lost because the people were suffering and so the leaders decided to make peace.
Why do you think it was abandoned? I think Ojukwu didn't plan well enough to win. He
should have thought about the west helping Nigeria. He should have thought about strength in
numbers. It's not all about heart and desire.
Eritrea won their fight against Ethiopia and the west though.
The war does proves the Nigeria needs the east because if my wife wants to leave the house
for good, why would I fight to keep her unless she is of more value to me than I am to her.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Onlytruth(m): 6:52am On Mar 07, 2010
jumobi1:
I think Biafra lost because the people were suffering and so the leaders decided to make
peace. Why do you think it was abandoned? I think Ojukwu didn't plan well enough to win.
He should have thought about the west helping Nigeria. He should have thought about
strength in numbers. It's not all about heart and desire.
Eritrea won their fight against Ethiopia and the west though.
The war does proves the Nigeria needs the east because if my wife wants to leave the house

for good, why would I fight to keep her unless she is of more value to me than I am to her.
Your point is well taken. No doubt the leadership of Biafra didn't plan well, but I'm really
more interested in HOW the war ended, because a lot of misinformation is going on.
You rightly pointed out Eritrea's case -just my point! You can still get what you fought for, and
that is why I'm interested in HOW the war ended. I know for a fact that there were many in
Biafra who wanted to continue the war (as Achuzia admitted to in this interview). Many
wanted a pure guerrilla movement to fight the war for ever, and I think they might have been
right considering what Nigeria turned out to be after Biafran surrender. So, I think some
people abandoned that war carelessly.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by funxion: 7:12am On Mar 07, 2010
jumobi1:
I think Biafra lost because the people were suffering and so the leaders decided to make peace.
Why do you think it was abandoned? I think Ojukwu didn't plan well enough to win. He
should have thought about the west helping Nigeria. He should have thought about strength in
numbers. It's not all about heart and desire.
Eritrea won their fight against Ethiopia and the west though.
The war does proves the Nigeria needs the east because if my wife wants to leave the house
for good, why would I fight to keep her unless she is of more value to me than I am to her.
Pls lets soft pedal on this issue at this delicate time.remember that the then east war east-southsouth but there is strenth in our diversity.every part is very important
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by EzeUche(m): 7:22am On Mar 07, 2010
We should have kept fighting till the last man. There should have been continued agitation
until we got our own sovereign stare. I know some of my Biafran comrades would not agree
with me, but this would have been the only way to break us out of the contraption. Our Biafran
soldiers should have stayed in the bush to fight the Nigerian army with guerrilla warfare. They
may have captured our important towns, but the forest should have been our home like our
forefathers.
Whenever I hear war stories, so much emotion just swell up in me. Long Live Biafra!
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by oyb(m): 7:41am On Mar 07, 2010
^^^^^
talk is cheap
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Abagworo(m): 8:39am On Mar 07, 2010
danjuma and gowon are murderers.fajuyi is one man i will always respect.may his soul

continue to rest in perfect peace

Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Andre Uweh(m): 12:33pm On Mar 07, 2010
Joe Achuzia is a hero any day.
He is an Igbo chieftain.
He is a braveman.
May he live long, amen.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by rhymz(m): 12:41pm On Mar 07, 2010
There is more to the Biafran war than meet the eyez
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by edoyad(m): 12:49pm On Mar 07, 2010
All these ghosts from the past. They had their chance to end the impending madness but they
failed, now It's time for a new batch of warriors to arise and finish what could not be corrected
at first try. Many of these guys were younger than many people right now on NL so i don't
think There's a problem of immaturity in this matter.
We're all old enough to chart a new course while making reference to the mistakes of these
guys so it doesn't repeat itself.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Katsumoto: 1:22pm On Mar 07, 2010
Achuzia saying that Biafra was not defeated does not change the facts. He was not defeated
yet he was incarcerated for 7 years.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by ndu_chucks: 1:35pm On Mar 07, 2010
edoyad:
All these ghosts from the past. They had their chance to end the impending madness but they
failed, now It's time for a new batch of warriors to arise and finish what could not be corrected
at first try. Many of these guys were younger than many people right now on NL so i don't
think There's a problem of immaturity in this matter.
We're all old enough to chart a new course while making reference to the mistakes of these
guys so it doesn't repeat itself.
Your middle belt heros are not painted as roses but as murderers in this interview, ko? I
understand your reaction.
Katsumoto:
Achuzia saying that Biafra was not defeated does not change the facts. He was not defeated
yet he was incarcerated for 7 years.

The civilians instructed us to stop the war = We surrendered ; no matter how one attempts to
distort it. The war should have been stopped much sooner, with 3,000 women and children
starving to death daily, only senseless leaders would not have promptly surrendered.
This Joe Achuzia of a guy, is a brave man who did not run away and was subsequently jailed
for 7 years. I suppose it was the fear of this kind of treatment that caused Ojukwu to flee.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by edoyad(m): 1:51pm On Mar 07, 2010
@ ndchuks Thank heavens one of you is around.
TY Danjuma is the devil responsible the death of Ironsi as OP claims, but guess what ? The
dinosaur is staunchly behind Jonathan and though i'm suspicious of his motives i know when
push comes to shove the hausa happy hour is over. Even traitors/ignoramuses like him who
benefitted from the looting of the old arrangement are beginning to wake up to reality of the
times.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by ndu_chucks: 2:14pm On Mar 07, 2010
edoyad:
@ ndchuks Thank heavens one of you is around.
TY Danjuma is the devil responsible the death of Ironsi as OP claims, but guess what ? The
dinosaur is staunchly behind Jonathan and though i'm suspicious of his motives i know when
push comes to shove the hausa happy hour is over. Even traitors/ignoramuses like him who
benefitted from the looting of the old arrangement are beginning to wake up to reality of the
times.
The most important thing to note is that the ignoramuses, as you put it, who benefitted from
the looting of Nigeria are the real enemies and as I've told you countless of times, they hail
from every geopolitical region of Nigeria. They are not limited to one tribe or the other . In my
humble opinion, your statement about hausa happy hour, is too tribalistic and naive. Let's all
hope the happy hour of the thieving elite who hail from all geopolitical regions, is over or will
be over soon.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by Katsumoto: 2:29pm On Mar 07, 2010
ndu_chucks:
The most important thing to note is that the ignoramuses, as you put it, who benefitted from
the looting of Nigeria are the real enemies and as I've told you countless of times, they hail
from every geopolitical region of Nigeria. They are not limited to one tribe or the other . In my
humble opinion, your statement about hausa happy hour, is too tribalistic and naive. Let's all
hope the happy hour of the thieving elite who hail from all geopolitical regions, is over or will
be over soon.

Ndu_Chuks
You are right about the above but let us not ignore certain facts. Nigeria finds itself in this
predicament because there are thieves in all nooks and crannies in all parts of the country.
However, the Northern elite has been able to frustrate the ambitions of genuine leaders from
the south by continually keeping the Northern people uneducated so as to use them as pawns
in various uprisings and engaging non-progressive people from the South. The day that a
majority of the Northern people become educated, enlightened, and independent like their
Southern counterparts, Nigeria will be the better for it.
But as long as unqualified and often uneducated people from the North continue to lord over
better qualified candidates from the South in all spheres of government (military included),
Nigeria will remain as it is or may even descend into chaos. So before you lay the blame on
crooks who come from all over Nigeria, try to put into consideration the severe imbalances in
the nation.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by ndu_chucks: 2:43pm On Mar 07, 2010
Katsumoto:
Ndu_Chuks
You are right about the above but let us not ignore certain facts. Nigeria finds itself in this
predicament because there are thieves in all nooks and crannies in all parts of the country.
However, the Northern elite has been able to frustrate the ambitions of genuine leaders from
the south by continually keeping the Northern people uneducated so as to use them as pawns
in various uprisings and engaging non-progressive people from the South. The day that a
majority of the Northern people become educated, enlightened, and independent like their
Southern counterparts, Nigeria will be the better for it.
But as long as unqualified and often uneducated people from the North continue to lord over
better qualified candidates from the South in all spheres of government (military included),
Nigeria will remain as it is or may even descend into chaos. So before you lay the blame on
crooks who come from all over Nigeria, try to put into consideration the severe imbalances in
the nation.
I'm glad you do not disagree with my statement. Let me also point out that I have not ignored
the issues you raised. One thing to note however is that, in the scenario you mentioned above
where you allege that the Northern elite has been able to frustrate the ambitions of genuine
leaders, there have always been elites from West/East/ and South who assisted and enabled the
frustration of the said ambitions. The Northern elite has never been able to carryout any
"political coup" without the active participation of their non Northern counterparts.
I also fully agree with you that there are several imbalances in the nation that need to be
addressed very urgently. The point I was making is that to see Northerners, Easterners,
Westerners, or Southerners as the sole cause of our problems is quite naive and myopic.
Finally I'll rephrase your statement above as follows: "The day that a majority of the

Nigerians become educated, enlightened, and independent like their Southern counterparts,
Nigeria will be the better for it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that the majority of any region in Nigeria is
educated.
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by edoyad(m): 2:45pm On Mar 07, 2010
^ @nduchuks do i need to say more ? While There's corruption everywhere no where is it
committed to brazenly evil by the leaders than up north. Some of the states in question are by
far worse than Burundi but all the leadership does is continually exploit there hoards of
illiterates who think they're living by to" Allah's" will
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by ndu_chucks: 2:53pm On Mar 07, 2010
edoyad:
^ @nduchuks do i need to say more ? While There's corruption everywhere no where is it
committed to brazenly evil by the leaders than up north. Some of the states in question are by
far worse than Burundi but all the leadership does is continually exploit there hoards of
illiterates who think they're living by to" Allah's" will
You are obsessed with the North and very quick to disown one of your own esteemed leaders,
Danjuma, by calling him a traitor. I'm sure you will soon call Gowon and Gomwalk traitors
once an old Biafran general informs us that your leaders and your people slaughtered
defenseless Igbos while they were fleeing agression and returning to the East. Let's see the
next middle belter you'll call a traitor in the next few days. olodo
Re: "I Handed Biafra Over to Obasanjo" - Achuzia by lannre(m): 2:55pm On Mar 07, 2010
@ poster
why change the subject ?
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