I realize that our Efik brothers feel bad that Philip Effiong is not given enough recognition in stories the Biafran struggle. This has inspired this post to encourage readers to list Biafran heroes and if possible discuss them. Some I can think of are:

Phillip Effiong: second in command in the Biafran army
Senator Edward Kennedy (Massachusetts): supported Biafra and pressed for American recognition of the humanitarian disaster in the war
Senator Charles E. Goodell (New York): same as above
Senator Donald E. Lukens (Ohio): same as above.

Okechukwu Mmadufo (Amichi, Biafra): joined the Biafran Army on 14th March 1968. Last heard of on 14th March 1969 when he led a small battalion into Nkpor sector. Great hero of Biafra, Nadimma my brother. I wish there were many more like you.

Your name may not be widely known, but your comrades in arms remember you.

Also encourage discussion on suggestions on additional strategies the Biafrans could have adopted to win the war, see https://www.nairaland.com/1215556/additional-strategies-biafrans-should-adopted#14610995

Apparently, Strum Thormond supported Biafra, but I cannot include his name as he was probably more interested in the prospects of blacks killing each other. So people like him and the leaders of South Africa should be excluded. Auberon Waugh named his child Biafra Waugh after he saw the carnage on his visit to Biafra. Let's not forget Kurt Vonnegut and his essay "Biafra: A People Betrayed" (read http://journeytoforever.org/rrlib/biafra.html ). He was so hurt by the Biafran tragedy of losing her independence that he was said to have wept bitterly.

General Benjamin Maja Adekunle.

General Muritala Rahmat Muhamad

Tolexander: General Benjamin Maja Adekunle.

General Muritala Rahmat Muhamad

Like I said, criminals and hell-bound bigots are not included. The two genocidal killers you mentioned belong with Strum Thormond in his section of hell. The title says "Heroes" of the war not villains.

Conor Cruise O'Brien knew the potential Biafra had of liberating African intellectualism given the intelligentia Biafra produced on the world stage. Biafra had the largest proportion of Black intellectuals in the world. Same with Kurt Vonnegut who wrote:

"Miriam was annoyed by my conversation at one point, and she said scornfully, "You won't open your mouth unless you can make a joke." It was true. Joking was my response to misery I couldn't do anything about. The jokes of Ojukwu and Effiong had to do with the crime for which the Biafrans were being punished so hideously by so many nations. The crime: They were attempting to become a nation themselves. "They call us a dot on the map," said General Ojukwu, "and nobody's sure quite where." Inside that dot were 700 lawyers, 500 physicians, 300 engineers, 8 million poets, 2 novelists of the first rank, and God only knows what else -- about one-third of all the black intellectuals in Africa. Some dot. Those intellectuals had once fanned out all over Nigeria, where they had been envied and lynched and massacred. So they retreated to their homeland, to the dot. The dot has now vanished. Hey, presto."

SmartTalk:

Like I said, criminals and hell-bound bigots are not included. The two genocidal killers you mentioned belong with Strum Thormond in his section of hell.

who are criminals in the real sense.

Biafran soldiers that engaged in a war with nigerian soldiers are considered heroes?

Nigerian soldiers that engaged in a war with the biafran soldiers are considered a criminal and hell bound bigots.

Your assertion- biafran soldiers never shot anything during the war abi which made them not to be considered a criminal and hellbound bigots?

SmartTalk:

Like I said, criminals and hell-bound bigots are not included. The two genocidal killers you mentioned belong with Strum Thormond in his section of hell.

You funny o! The guys who LOST are HEROES but the VICTORS who pummelled the losers into fleeing to Abidjan and beyond are not HEROES?? Well, history cannot be re-written nonetheless! Talking about HEROES:

General Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR. <Highly decorated soldier and statesman>

General Benjamin Adekunle, Commander 3MCD. <Nigeria's only Blitzkrieg commander, G. S Patton playmate in the theatre of war>

General Phillip Effiong <He did the sensible thing to stop the wanton sacrifice of iboz embarked on by ojuku>

Tolexander: who are criminal in the real sense.

Biafran soldiers that engaged in a war with nigerian soldiers are considered heroes?

Nigerian soldiers that engaged in a war with the biafran soldiers are considered a criminal and hell bound bigots.

Your assertion- biafran soldiers never shot anything during the war abi which made them not to be considered a criminal and hellbound bigots?

The two criminals you mentioned committed recorded acts of genocide. Killing unarmed civilians is not what heroes do. Read your history.

Special mention should be made of Wole Soyinka and Tai Solarin who stood for what is right and were jailed for it. While all around them - relatives and friends - blindly supported genocide, and still do, they spoke up against evil. God bless them. A memorial must be created for them in the Biafran relm after the demise of Nigeria.

CyberG:

You funny o! The guys who LOST are HEROES but the VICTORS who pummelled the losers into fleeing to Abidjan and beyond are not HEROES?? Well, history cannot be re-written nonetheless! Talking about ZEROES:

General Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR. <Highly decorated soldier and statesman>

General Benjamin Adekunle, Commander 3MCD. <Nigeria's only Blitzkrieg commander, G. S Patton playmate in the theatre of war>

General Phillip Effiong <He did the sensible thing to stop the wanton sacrifice of iboz embarked on by ojuku>

That must have been what the devil thought when Jesus was crucified - Son of Man dead, I win, I am a hero - but that is not how life should be measured by intelligent people. If Hitler won, the way the story of Europe would have been told would be very different.

Back to real heroes:
Canadian writer Stanley Diamond supported Biafra. Richard Nixon, despite his faults, stopped Johnson's policy of supplying weapons to Nigeria. The people of Britain protested Harold Wilson's idiotic policy of support to Nigeria - dock workers refused to load ships with weapons protesting being used to kill Biafran babies.

SmartTalk:

Conor Cruise O'Brien knew the potential Biafra had of liberating African intellectualism given the intelligentia Biafra produced on the world stage. Biafra had the largest proportion of Black intellectuals in the world. Same with Kurt Vonnegut who wrote:

"Miriam was annoyed by my conversation at one point, and she said scornfully, "You won't open your mouth unless you can make a joke." It was true. Joking was my response to misery I couldn't do anything about. The jokes of Ojukwu and Effiong had to do with the crime for which the Biafrans were being punished so hideously by so many nations. The crime: They were attempting to become a nation themselves. "They call us a dot on the map," said General Ojukwu, "and nobody's sure quite where." Inside that dot were 700 lawyers, 500 physicians, 300 engineers, 8 million poets, 2 novelists of the first rank, and God only knows what else -- about one-third of all the black intellectuals in Africa. Some dot. Those intellectuals had once fanned out all over Nigeria, where they had been envied and lynched and massacred. So they retreated to their homeland, to the dot. The dot has now vanished. Hey, presto."

INTELLIGENCE!

Guess you seem not to understand what intelligence is.

An intelligent mind creates solution to his problems.
An intelligent soul acquires the materials around it to make an unfavorable condition favorable.
An intelligent body doesn't bank on his opponent to give it a clue before it can win and be successful

SmartTalk: Special mention should be made of Wole Soyinka and Tai Solarin who stood for what is right and were jailed for it. While all around them - relatives and friends - blindly supported genocide, and still do, they spoke up against evil. God bless them. A memorial must be created for them in the Biafran relm after the demise of Nigeria.

add Victor Banjo there. Plenty Yoruba struggled so you can be freed from your oppressors. You fvkd up when instead of heading north to fight your oppressor you headed west to fight a friend, ended up with a new enemy and the demolition of biafra.

Negro_Ntns:

add Victor Banjo there. Plenty Yoruba struggled so you can be freed from your oppressors. You fvkd up when instead of heading north to fight your oppressor you headed west to fight a friend, ended up with a new enemy and the demolition of biafra.

Only a fool would head up North, there is no tactical advantage. You go to the capital, that is where the devils planning war on Biafra are located. Banjo did well for Biafra, but his refusal to see his mission to the end was a major error, NO intelligent general would have passed up that opportunity to end the war by striking the snake at the head. He must however be noted for the successful liberation of the Mid West.

Negro_Ntns:

add Victor Banjo there. Plenty Yoruba struggled so you can be freed from your oppressors. You fvkd up when instead of heading north to fight your oppressor you headed west to fight a friend, ended up with a new enemy and the demolition of biafra.

Who are the plenty Yorubas? I DID NOT KNOW THREE OUT OF 40 MILLION IS PLENTY. AWO BEING THE YOROUBA LEADER LED THEM TO JOIN THE NORTH IN KILLING FELLOW HUMANS MAINLY VIA STARVATION.

SmartTalk:

That must have been what the devil thought when Jesus was crucified - Son of Man dead, I win, I am a hero - but that is not how life should be measured by intelligent people. If Hitler won, the way the story of Europe would have been told would be very different.

Back to real heroes:
Canadian writer Stanley Diamond supported Biafra. Richard Nixon, despite his faults, stopped Johnson's policy of supplying weapons to Nigeria. The people of Britain protested Harold Wilson's idiotic policy of support to Nigeria - dock workers refused to load ships with weapons protesting being used to kill Biafran babies.

introduction of Jesus into this matter has no mental affliation.
Satan and Jesus had a battle till the point of resurrection. I.e during trial, crucifixion and death. Jesus won when he resurrected. Cos the main battle Jesus was meant to fight is to DIE AND RESURRECT!

FSU:

Who are the plenty Yorubas? I DID NOT KNOW THREE OUT OF 40 MILLION IS PLENTY. AWO BEING THE YOROUBA LEADER LED THEM TO JOIN THE NORTH IN KILLING FELLOW HUMANS MAINLY VIA STARVATION.

Well, the few people of whatever ethnic group who supported justice should be acknowledged. The word PLENTY is misplaced, I grant you that, but a few of them stayed on the side of justice.

Tolexander: introduction of Jesus into this matter has no mental affliation.
Satan and Jesus had a battle till the point of resurrection. I.e during trial, crucifixion and death. Jesus won when he resurrected. Cos the main battle Jesus was meant to fight is to DIE AND RESURRECT!

And what makes you think Satan was aware of that plan?...
My point exactly. Ignorance make people drunk from temporary victory.

SmartTalk:

The two criminals you mentioned committed recorded acts of genocide. Killing unarmed civilians is not what heroes do. Read your history.

so biafran soldiers never killed any civilian?

That is the problem with biafrans.
Quit propaganda. Another Strategy would have won the war and not propaganda.

JOE ACHUZIA, the biafran Hannibal!

slimghost: JOE ACHUZIA, the biafran Hannibal!

Here Here, I would acknowledge that though I would not describe him as a forgotten hero.

Tolexander: so biafran soldiers never killed any civilian?

That is the problem with biafrans.
Quit propaganda. Another Strategy would have won the war and not propaganda.

You do understand what genocide means, right? Civilians are always killed in war, but read about the Calabar massacres and other such. Gathering men and shooting them in front of their children and wives is not the definition of collateral damage. Other strategies would have won the war, you say. That is why I put up this post for people like you who keep saying that but have no suggestions: https://www.nairaland.com/1215556/additional-strategies-biafrans-should-adopted#14610995

Alfamann: Okechukwu Mmadufo (Amichi, Biafra): joined the Biafran Army on 14th March 1968. Last heard of on 14th March 1969 when he led a small battalion into Nkpor sector. Great hero of Biafra, Nadimma my brother. I wish there were many more like you.

Your name may not be widely known, but your comrades in arms remember you.

The services of Okechukwu Mmadufo to the Biafran people must never be forgotten. He and others like him may not be famous, but they can rest assured that the people who survive them would work to establish the Biafran republic. He did not die in vain.

----------------------- ************* ----------------------------------

The most committed and involved British ally that Biafra had, Frederick Forsyth brought to the knowledge of the World the atrocities that Britain supported in Nigeria. He resigned his job in BBC to come to Biafra when he saw that the government of Britain was trying to prevent the truth from coming out. He made the documentary below after the war:

[flash=640,360]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ReFoFp0Gs[/flash]

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SmartTalk:

Only a fool would head up North, there is no tactical advantage. You go to the capital, that is where the devils planning war on Biafra are located. Banjo did well for Biafra, but his refusal to see his mission to the end was a major error, NO intelligent general would have passed up that opportunity to end the war by striking the snake at the head. He must however be noted for the successful liberation of the Mid West.

you did not go north because you feared hausa, choosing instead to go terrorize small communities of people who were neutral. well the capital is in north now and for all the ibo massacres since how many times have you punched back?

SmartTalk: Other strategies would have won the war, you say. That is why I put up this post for people like you who keep saying that but have no suggestions: https://www.nairaland.com/1215556/additional-strategies-biafrans-should-adopted#14610995

but you said they are intelligent? How come they couldn't suggest a strategy to conquer their enemy as many as the biafran soldiers were?

Tolexander: but you said they are intelligent? How come they couldn't suggest a strategy to conquer their enemy as many as the biafran soldiers were?

Intelligent people know that war is not won by numbers. Read about the Persian war with the Greeks, the Israeli war of independence (the invading Arab armies were more that the population of Israel at that time), examples are ridiculously many. Biafra only needed half the small arms supply that Nigeria had.

Negro_Ntns:

you did not go north because you feared hausa, choosing instead to go terrorize small communities of people who were neutral. well the capital is in north now and for all the ibo massacres since how many times have you punched back?

Lagos was not neutral. Read about the war. There are newsreels indicating that enlistment was up in Lagos as in other parts of Nigeria. The second part of your question would be relevant after Biafra establishes herself. If you are expecting me to support reprisal attacks, you would be disappointed. That is not in line with my principles and I think it is against everything Biafra stands for. I look forward to your own answer to that question seeing as Yoruba and other Southern Nigerians were also killed. If there was an intelligent and compelling tactical reason to hit the North, Biafra should have gone for it but where is the wisdom in that when all offensive against Biafra was coordinated in Lagos. Ojukwu's move follows Sun Tzu's advice of "attacking directly to engage your enemy, attack indirectly to win". If it was followed to the letter, the result of the war would have been different.

Even now that Abuja is the capital, any intelligent general at war with Nigeria would attack Lagos first, then other coastal areas and use that as a base to launch attacks at Abuja. Of course, if you have infinite cash you can choose the more economically wasteful strategy of using expensive plans to fly from your territory to Abuja and deliver bombs and probably refuel the plan while it is in the air but Biafra did not have that kind of money - so common sense would be necessary. If I was fighting America and I had one missile at the time, I would strike New York before I even think about Washington. It's called common sense.

Back to topic, the ruler of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, towered above most African political leaders of the time by putting moral principles above politics and recognising Biafra when others were too afraid to. God Bless Tanzania, God Bless Biafra.

Bruce Mayrock, the American Columbia University student who burned himself to death in front of the United Nations building in New York.

He died in protest for the Biafran cause.

smart talk: Intelligent people know that war
is not won by numbers. Read
about the Persian war with the
Greeks, the Israeli war of
independence (the invading Arab
armies were more that the
population of Israel at that time),
examples are ridiculously many.
Biafra only needed half the small
arms supply that Nigeria had.

try not misunderstanding me. What i was saying is that you said biafran armies were intelligent? How come they couldn't pool their intelligence to win the war if they are really intelligent.
I will refer you to go an read the USA (the 13 colonies) war of independence.

Major Gen Madu Ebo.


I love him

Tolexander: try not misunderstanding me. What i was saying is that you said biafran armies were intelligent? How come they couldn't pool their intelligence to win the war if they are really intelligent.
I will refer you to go an read the USA (the 13 colonies) war of independence.

You win wars with weapons as well as brain. You should know that. Like I said, we only needed half the supplies of guns - and guns alone, not airplanes and tanks - to win the war. That we did not have, thanks to the British.

I would ask that you read on that war yourself. If you did and studied the mistake of the confederates attacking the Union soldiers that had occupied high-ground, you would not have suggested that Biafrans go attacking the North leaving Lagos to freely import arms and ammunitions.

nnenna.1:
Bruce Mayrock, the American Columbia University student who burned himself to death in front of the United Nations building in New York.

He died in protest for the Biafran cause.

He is a true hero. Igbo leaders should pay a visit to his wife. I heard her interview on the BBC. It was a tough thing to deal with. She got a letter from him explaining his decision after he had burned himself. God be with his family.

Tolexander: INTELLIGENCE!

Guess you seen not to understand what intelligence is.

An intelligent mind creates solution to his problems.
An intelligent soul acquires the materials around it to make an unfavorable condition favorable.
An intelligent body doesn't bank on his opponent to give it a clue before it can win and successful

An intelligent mind knows that your post describes the natural action to take in the face of genocide - find a solution, acquire materials to make the unfavourable favourable, distrust your enemy, [size=16pt]DECLARE A BIAFRAN NATION STATE INDEPENDENT AND DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO LIFE.[/size] If only Nigerians would get that, the academic performance would improve.

The Brit who refused to be part of the rigging of the elections to favour the North - Harold Smith - should be honoured. He lost everything standing on the side of justice. His honour and reputation should be fully restored and acknowledged by Biafrans.

Poster,

Did you forget Artur Alves Pereira, The legendary Biafran Pilot from Portugal who up to date still believes so much in the Biafran dream?......

http://massob.org/2012/12/09/my-escapades-as-biafran-warplane-pilot-%E2%80%93portuguese-pilotartur-alves-pereira/

SmartTalk:

You win wars with weapons as well as brain. You should know that. Like I said, we only needed half the supplies of guns - and guns alone, not airplanes and tanks - to win the war. That we did not have, thanks to the British.

I would ask that you read on that war yourself. If you did and studied the mistake of the confederates attacking the Union soldiers that had occupied high-ground, you would not have suggested that Biafrans go attacking the North leaving Lagos to freely import arms and ammunitions.

that isn't the point. I made mention of the 13 colonies and not the 11 confederate states.
George Washington and his warriors(american heroes) had crude weapons compared to the english colonial master. They still went ahead to win the war as a result of their bravery, courage and INTELLIGENCE.

Forgotten not fogetten
Op, learn to spell first ,son [buy yourself a dictionary] or don't they teach you that in biafra?