Biafran war: How Ojukwu branded Nsukka people saboteurs – Civil war veteran Alumona

By Emma Nnadozie
The Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970 ended with statements “No Victor, No Vanquished” but memories and scars of the war lingered in communities in the university town of Nsukka whose lands were usurped by the military and named army barracks.

Soon after the war, there was a long-drawn-out battle for ownership of the large expanse of lands between the communities and Nigerian Army. However, when Nigerian soldiers that occupied the lands were withdrawn, the communities laying claim to ownership of the land tried to reclaim it but met stiff resistance from military authorities who clung tenaciously to it, precipitating a long drawn legal tussle that lingered for over eight years.

While the dispute lasted, there was a delicate balance as frantic developers still poached on the lands but with fear of the unknown. Luckily, the issue came to rest recently after the communities scored a major victory against the military in the law court and their lands handed over to them. Chairman of the land committee, Chief John Alumona spoke with Vanguard on a wide range of issues concerning the acquisition and usurpation of the lands and ended up unearthing volatile and vexatious issues concerning the ill-fated Biafra war.

Excerpts:
In the beginning: “ I was the Chairman of the defunct Echara lands committee who spear-headed the legal tussle with the military. Echara is made up of eight villages namely; Umuagwene, Ama-eze-enu, Amaokpo, Obechara, Umu-ocha and Amaeze-Ani, Umu-Udele and Ibagwa-Ede. I was enlisted in the Nigerian police in 1978, served at different states in the country mostly Enugu, Ebonyi, Bauchi and Lagos. Ibadan was where I served last before pulling out of the service. I came back happily, I started my job as a builder and that was what motivated me to come home. I mobilized and opened laborer stand at Ogurugu road, Nsukka where artisans go in search of daily bread (Ogbo manu market)

Nsukka army barracks story

“Army barracks came into existence when the then Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the then Governor of Eastern region pulled away from the Nigerian army in 1967 to declare the defunct Biafran Republic. He formed his own army to secure the republic known as the Biafra.

The Biafra army barracks

“Immediately Ojukwu declared the Biafra Republic. After speaking to Nsukka people, he acquired Agu-Echara now known and called army barracks purely for the Biafra army.

After the acquisition of the lands, nothing was paid as compensation because everybody was afraid of army then. The barracks was for the rank and file, officer’s quarters and the shooting range. The field within the side of Echara axis is where they had the rank and file quarters. Then, Amenu-Edem axis bounded by Echara community lands. That’s where the Biafran army had the officers quarters while the shooting range was at the axis of Ozi-Edem. The training and recruitment of the Biafran army was going on normally in preparation for the onslaught of the civil war. Ojukwu was massively supported when he declared Biafra republic which has to go with military base in Nsukka. As the Biafra army settled in Nsukka, Major General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) then head of state countered the move by stating unequivocally that Nigeria must be one nation and that he never believed in the Republic of Biafra. He galvanized the federal troops and engaged the secessionists. Ojukwu on his part prepared for the war assuring that nothing will happen stating that the east will fight till the last man and battle raged.

How Nsukka people suffered

“Nsukka people suffered untold hardship during the civil war. They were providing foods for the Biafran soldiers with one common spirit ‘united we stand’ (Ndi nke anyi) in Igbo parlance. The army barracks was built voluntarily, people were happy and each person contributed whatever he can afford in terms of manpower to see that the barracks was built. The barracks was ready and occupied by the Biafran army, three months before the war finally broke out.

The war effects on Nsukka people

When our people took foods to the barracks unknown that Nigerian army had taken over, they were arrested. The Nigerian army came into Nsukka through Okpuje, Okutu and Odoru- Igala neighboring communities. The only resistance was from the civilian populace at Okutu that dug trenches to prevent the federal troops with machine guns. The federal troops came and fell into ditches; they mobilized and swept the defenseless civilians at Okutu which was the first casualties recorded in Nsukka area. At Okutu community then, the elderly ones were wiped out completely. The few surviving ones at Okutu scampered to neighboring Okpuje, Anuka and Ibagwa- Ani communities etc.

Ojukwu in total disappointment branded every Nsukka man a saboteur. He accused Nsukka people of not doing anything to repel the advancing force of the Nigerian army.

Nsukka suffered immensely during the war. It was when the war got to Onitsha, that Ojukwu set a probe to know exactly what was wrong with his men. It was at that probe that Ifeajuna was indicted, arrested, court marshaled but it was too late for the Biafran army. Nsukka suffered because they did not know that the Nigerian army had surrounded the whole town. People thought that the federal troops were passing through for them to settle down but ended up scampering to farmlands without food and water, then kwashiorkor set in killing children and adults in drones and pairs. Some Nsukka men that braved to come and take some food stuff were shot down by Federal soldiers who dug trenches at major entry points.

Many promising young men died as a result of the unwarranted stigma and not necessarily in the hands of the advancing Nigerian troops. Till date, the stigma still lingers as the Nsukka man is still branded contemptuously as Northern Igbos.

Death of Nzeogwu

Nzeogwu told Ojukwu inter alia; that the war was not mature but he could not listen and embarked on full scale war empty handed. As an infantry man, Nzeogwu told Ojukwu that war does not go by propaganda but Ojukwu believed that Iroko trees, grasses and buildings will fight which was a pigmentation of the civil war. There was no weapon to engage in a full war but Ojukwu never agreed.

Aburi accord disagreements

“Immediately the war was declared without weapons, students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, trooped en mass, the entire nation was in flames, not that the war was rooted on the failure of the accord. Both Gowon and Ojukwu interpreted the Aburi accord differently to suit their desires. Both men were fighting over superiority. Ojukwu acquired Agu-Echara Nsukka, Amenu- Edem and Ozi-Edem lands for his military purposes which the Nigerian army subjugated and Gowon requisitioned and took over the whole lands. Gowon stayed there and promulgated decree number 720 of 1973. As Gowon requisitioned the lands, Nigerian army occupied the place till 1976. Gowon said since the war ended ‘No victor, No vanquished’ every other thing returns to its status quo. The Nigerian army were asked to go back to their former barracks. If the army had continued to stay at Agu-Echara, it would amount to illegality.

Reclaiming of Agu Echera Nsukka

“When the army left, the lands remained unoccupied till when I became the chairman, Echara lands committee in 2003. Then, I told my people that we have to go into dialogue with the Nigerian army and the government. The Nigerian army left after several years of occupation of the lands at Agu-Echara. The lands were contentious in the sense that federal government did not acquire the land, it was acquired illegally by an illegal government, and then we queried the Nigerian army to hand over the lands to Enugu state government since it was not acquired by the federal government. We instituted an action, sued the Nigerian army to court, first at the federal high court and later, to Nsukka high court because they were agitating on jurisdiction.

After going through our statements of claims and amended statements, the army came up with verdict that there was no need pursuing the matter. The army is an army of record. They agreed that they made mistake inter alia; by handing over the land to the state government, then decided that the land should go back to Echara, Amenu-Edem and Ozi-Edem communities.The army asked our lawyers to go back to court and formalize the necessary documents and bring out the case in court. The matter has finally been settled out of court as Echera, Amenu and Ozi-Edem peacefully reclaimed their lands. That is the position of the land now. We thank the Nigerian army for understanding and a straight record of the place.

Echera Power of Attorney

“Echara community upon appointing the land committee, issued irrevocable power of attorney to the committee which I was the chairman upon which we stood and reclaimed Agu- Echera lands from the Nigerian army. The victory is a major milestone landmark for a lot of developers who had thought that they would lose their properties if we had lost but the army graciously checked their records and gave us victory” Chief Alumona stated.

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