zendy:


There's the saying that " Igbo eh nwe Eze". This means that " Igbos don't have kings" ( although the accurate translation is that Igbos never had and will never have a king). That's just the egalitarian nature of the Igbo man that he doesn't recognise anyone as his superior wherever he is. That's why the Igbos never had central form of authority unlike the Yoruba that had the Oyomesi and the Hausa that had the Sokoto caliphate. To this day, it still amazes an Igboman like me that a Yoruba man can prostrate on the floor to another human being bacause I know that someone will have to kill me before I can agree to do this. We Igbos have been fighting colonialism for a long time. We fought the authority of the British but failed,we fought the Northern dominated Nigerian army in Biafra and failed but I'm proud of my people for fighting where others ran away like cowards. When we win, we shall win big. Until then,we keep fighting

The force consisted of one 75-millimetre gun, 2 maxims, 12 Europeans, 226 rank and file, and 232 carriers. The 226 men were composed of nine sections taken from various garrisons in the Aro country. The advanced guard, commanded by Captain Grayson, R.A.,79 which was the fighting portion of this small force, consisted of scouts, 3 ½ sections infantry, one 75-millimetre gun, and 1 maxim, or about 90 men. The scouts were under Lieutenant Macdonnell, D.S.O., an excellent officer of the permanent forces of Canada. 80 Half a mile out of the friendly town of Onor the road ran along a narrow causeway, about 100 yards in length, and with a deep swamp on either side; there was a small stream at the enemy’s end of it which had to be waded. Fire was opened on the scouts, the enemy disputing the passage of the stream from the opposite bank. The scouts kept the enemy employed while the75-millimetre and maxim were got into position. A heavy fire was then poured in, and before the enemy had recovered, the guns ceased fire and a section of the advanced guard dashed across, and extended out in the open 11 yam fields beyond. The enemy retired precipitately, having only been holding the water with scouts.

The path now ran up the face of a hill covered with plantations, and became a hollow road, with sides 15 to 20 feet high near the brow. A strong stockade closed the hollow road, and the scouts reported trenches on each side of it, filled with the enemy, just over the crest of the hill. Captain Grayson engaged the attention of the enemy in front, while he sent Lieut. Macdonnell with the bulk of the advanced guard round the enemy’s left through the plantations; these afforded very fair cover, but were easy to move through. Lieut. Macdonnell went well round, but was confronted by new trenches. He was able to creep up close to these unseen, owing to their being placed too far back from the crest of the hill. He cleared them with the bayonet, and cut the enemy’s line of retreat, who, being now pressed in front, evacuated his trenches and fled into the bush.

In Southern Nigeria the Afikpo country is open and undulating. During the expedition (1902-3) against these people, the force advanced some distance in square formation with the carriers in the centre. The bulk of the advanced guard and scouts were extended at one pace interval equally on each side of the main road, which was slightly raised above the surrounding plantations. A 75-millimetre gun was on the road, and at the front angles of the square were maxims. The carriers closed up and marched in a compact body in the centre with a front of thirty to forty yards. The carrier guards and rear guard protected the flanks and rear. Intact bodies of troops were held in readiness in the centre to reinforce any face requiring assistance. As the country was open and the enemy only possessed dane guns, and were not in the habit of charging with swords and spears, they were harmless if kept at a distance of two hundred yards from any face. Thousands of them hovered round the square and watched it from the tops of small hills as a deliberate advance was made against the chief stronghold of the country.

OdenigboAroli:
Igbo enwe Eze simply means Igbo has no herd mentality and not that we don't have kings. In Igbo land every decision a king makes must undergo scrutiny unlike in some places where the kings word is the final.

omonnakoda:
I think we should not use the word "war" so carelessly when all we are talking about is an episode of village unruliness or petulance.Such palavers or melees in the Ilo are not quite what we mean when we talk about wars . Please!!

liberty300:
yeap. That's why even in nigeria of today, when a Yoruba gets into a fight with an Igbo man, he makes a lot of noise to attract other Yorubas that may be in the distance so they may help him fight the one Igbo man...classic chimpanzee characteristics cos I saw it happen once on NaGeo wild

omonnakoda:
I think we should not use the word "war" so carelessly when all we are talking about is an episode of village unruliness or petulance.Such palavers or melees in the Ilo are not quite what we mean when we talk about wars . Please!!

Dbboy:


go and check for the defination of war befoore you open your mouth.