logica:
LMAO. Who told you these tales by moonlight? He taught nearly all the guys including his superiors at NDA.

I have forgotten their are many kids on nairaland
so sorry for the mistake and many network throwing out free data nowadays
during my time we read the hard copy and there is little knowledge about the internet

this will help your case anyway

Why We Struck tells the story of the first military intervention in Nigerian politics. The coup that took place on January 15, 1966, was conceived and planned together by Majors Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna and Ademoyega. The execution of the plan had a lightning effect, and the coup provoked a reaction within the first hours of its commencement, opening the floodgate that culminated in the Civil War.
Apart from being a vivid account of one of the most historical events in Nigeria up to date, the book is indeed a souvenir, being the original work of the only surviving member of the trio that conceived and planned the coup.
In this book, Major Ademoyega dispels the popular myths which some people, not directly connected with the coup, have amplified and used for their selfish ends.
A lot has been written about the motivations, actions, and purposes of the revolution that jerked Nigeria into self-consciousness on January 15, 1966. Much of what has been written was merely deduced from what the authors saw or heard. So far, nothing has been published by any of the actual revolutionaries. This is the first authentic account of the revolution. It is written by the only surviving member of the innermost group that planned the revolution.
“Everything has been done to ensure that this book is accurate and that it depicts the revolution and all that followed it exactly as they were seen from the centre of that great event, which has proved to be the first major milestone in the history of the political development of Nigeria since independence was attained.
My gratitude goes to my friends, who have encouraged me to write this book. I do hope that they and the entire reading public will be enriched in their knowledge of the truth, which is herein depicted.”
Adewale Ademoyega

Qelvin:

Lol Hollywood flick narration, if you believe that balderdash about 32 soldiers holding back a large force of Biafrans, then I have a castle in the air to sell to you...how come these unimaginable feat of bravery wasn't widely reported apart from Major Iluyomade's own version of home cooked tales by moonlight? The story is just as equivalent to the one some old folk who fought in the Biafran war used to brag to us about...like how he single handedly halted a whole battalion of advancing Nigerian troops with his well timed ogbunigwe...only difference is he always told this tale whenever he was in his alcohol induced state of mind.

If you know about military strategy and trickery, you will know how a small force can hold much bigger numbers at a BRIDGE. This is standard military tactic; added with the trickery where you make it appear your numbers are larger than actual. Deception.

laudate:


So you believe "the Biafran troops were definitely thin in numbers and could not have been more than a company or platoon size," and yet "Biafra had no weapons like the Nigerians did", were able to win the battle at Ore?? As compared to a better equipped & better trained Nigerian side, with more weapons?? Is that what you think?? Is that why you believe Madiebo's account?

Element of surprise can make a small force look spartan buddy...for the umpteenth time the Midwest region was a buffer zone and was deemed neural at the outbreak of hostility, so it's very much conceivable that the region would have fallen very easily to the Biafrans cause it wasn't heavily defended, the Biafrans SURPRISED the Federal side as they didn't even see the invasion coming, and when it did the Nigerian side were pretty much in hasty retreat, the Biafrans had the momentum of surprise,speed, and a degree of good Intel...that was why the entire Midwest crumbled like a pack of wild cards when the Biafrans struck, and such was the success of the invasion that the Biafrans covered far more ground that they even anticipated, Ore was there for the taking but Banjo decided for reasons best known to him halt the attack, even your Alabi Isama reported that Biafrans had the momentum, cause he was with the Biafrans before he defected to the Nigerian side... the Nigerian troops were surely not better trained, Igbos always had the best crop of military officers right from the post independence era to ...Nigerian soldiers were simply better equipped, and that alone didn't save them when they were wiped out by a small Biafran force at the botched river crossing attempt at Asaba three times.

xpool:


Stop being in denial and face the present and future.
Don't be a coward, we did not send them yet rejoiced in the victory even with a Highlife music track our people both in lagos and our villages sang with pride.

Nwanna o buru na i na eri ede, i ga ama na otu mkpisi aka lutu nmanu aka o ga emetu mkpkisi aka nile.
Nwanne ozu lere ure, na ebukwa gha.
Chei, o na i maro na o ndi nwere agba na akwado ndi na achi ehi, ka ebe iche na ha si eweta egbe uzu nke akpuru na roshia.
Echebum na i ma ihe; I maro nothing. Egwu atugbuo gi.
Amatara m ony ibu, okwa gi bu Nna Okonkwo na ime akwukwo-ifo "things fall apart" nke Mazi Chinua Achebe dere.
Ta si eba fuo ngwa ngwa!

Stop deceiving yourself,[/b] because Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen that have killed millions of people today in Nigeria is not sent by the North but some Northerners celebrate their actions[b], stop hiting your head on the ground over the event of more than 50years ago. Igbos are doing well in Nigeria despite the setbacks, [/b]no ethnic group is perfect in Nigeria[b], the north have ruled Nigeria for donkey years with nothing to show for it except looting and nepotism, stop accusing the Igbos, other ethnic groups are not left out in Nigeria problem.

Stop using Google to translate Igbo language, [/b]the world knows the real cowards.[b], I am afraid of event of 50 years ago that have been overtaken by events,keep on living in stone age.

So it is on nairaland that Biafra will be achieved and that achievement can be thwarted on nairaland? How intelligent are you!

Fedayeen02:
When they say Biafra your tribesmen leave the hot amala in the pot and run to Nairaland to tell us a thousand reasons why a United Nigeria is the best.


Ndi yoruba o gini na afio

femarse:

More blahgitty blah blah

Story by Ademoyega, the deluded and deceived, sportscar driving Major who happened to be the last of the 5 Majors to be recruited; and who had very little information on the real purpose of the coup. Why didn't Ifeajuna allow him to arrest Ironsi when he offered? Aha. Ifeajuna was the leader who had all the cards and kept them close to his heart.

Qelvin:

Element of surprise can make a small force look spartan buddy...for the umpteenth time the Midwest region was a buffer zone and was deemed neural at the outbreak of hostility, so it's very much conceivable that the region would have fallen very easily to the Biafrans cause it wasn't heavily defended, the Biafrans SURPRISED the Federal side as they didn't even see the invasion coming, and when it did the Nigerian side were pretty much in hasty retreat, the Biafrans had the momentum of surprise,speed, and a degree of good Intel...that was why the entire Midwest crumbled like a pack of wild cards when the Biafrans struck, and such was the success of the invasion that the Biafrans covered far more ground that they even anticipated, Ore was there for the taking but Banjo decided for reasons best known to him halt the attack, even your Alabi Isama reported that Biafrans had the momentum, cause he was with the Biafrans before he defected to the Nigerian side... the Nigerian troops were surely not better trained, Igbos always had the best cream of military officers...Nigerian soldiers were simply better equipped, and that alone didn't save them when they were wiped out by a small Biafran force at the botched river crossing attempt three times.

Again, you persist in churning out the fallacy that the Biafran forces wiped out the Nigerian soldiers at Ore, when nothing could be further from the truth, all because you have chosen to swallow Madiebo's tales. Madiebo was far from the battlefield and was relying on second-hand information & dispatches. Those who were right there, have made it clear that the federal side vanquished the Biafran soldiers at Ore, still you are disputing the facts. Ok, believe what you like if it makes you feel better!

As for the Midwest, the Biafran forces took advantage of the fact that the federal side did not have a battalion on ground in that region, to attack the old Midwest. Ojukwu had agreed with Ejoor, that the Midwest would remain a neutral territory. But when Ejoor's back was turned, what did Ojukwu do? He gave instructions for the invasion. Less than a month later, the federal side took over the old Midwest again, & retrieved it from the Biafran forces. Where were your effective Biafran forces when the federal soldiers regained hold of the territory?

logica:
If you know about military strategy and trickery, you will know how a small force can hold much bigger numbers at a BRIDGE. This is standard military tactic; added with the trickery where you make it appear your numbers are larger than actual. Deception.

But then nothing of that sort ever happened, cause all the books written by Federal commanders like Obj in "My command" or even Alabi Isama never reported anything close to that, what prevented the Biafrans from advancing beyond Ore was simply the ofusu bridge that was blown up by retreating Nigerians plus the valuable momentum of time that was lost by the Biafran command under Banjo at Ore, nothing more nothing less.

laudate:


Again, you persist in churning out the fallacy that the Biafran forces wiped out the Nigerian soldiers at Ore, when nothing could be further from the truth, all because you have chosen to swallow Madiebo's tales. Madiebo was far from the battlefield and was relying on second-hand information & dispatches. Those who were right there, have made it clear that the federal side vanquished the Biafran soldiers at Ore, still you are disputing the facts. Ok, believe what you like if it makes you feel better!

Give me a neutral version aside from your Federal camp that Biafrans were roundly defeated at Ore? I need a neutral source, cause I'll definitely not swallow the tales from either your Nigerian archive of lies or even the Biafran side, both sides told culpable lies to boost their war propaganda's, so let's keep that in perspective...we can turn this into another academic debate and learn more that way.

Qelvin:

Element of surprise can make a small force look spartan buddy...for the umpteenth time the Midwest region was a buffer zone and was deemed neural at the outbreak of hostility, so it's very much conceivable that the region would have fallen very easily to the Biafrans cause it wasn't heavily defended, the Biafrans SURPRISED the Federal side as they didn't even see the invasion coming, and when it did the Nigerian side were pretty much in hasty retreat, the Biafrans had the momentum of surprise,speed, and a degree of good Intel...that was why the entire Midwest crumbled like a pack of wild cards when the Biafrans struck, and such was the success of the invasion that the Biafrans covered far more ground that they even anticipated,

Guy, you can make things up sha. Mid-West succumbed easily because of the collusion of the Delta-Igbos. Initially the non-Igbos from the Mid-West were ambivalent towards the Biafrans until the Biafrans started a reign of terror of r@pe and murders and general ill-treatment; culminating in mutiny against the Biafrans and eventually leading up to anarchy in the region.

Qelvin:

But then nothing of that sort ever happened, cause all the books written by Federal commanders like Obj in "My command" or even Alabi Isama never reported anything close to that

How can they report what they didn't witness? We are talking about events which occurred before the arrival of reinforcements.

logica:

Story by Ademoyega, the deluded and deceived, sportscar driving Major who happened to be the last of the 5 Majors to be recruited; and who had very little information on the real purpose of the coup. Why didn't Ifeajuna allow him to arrest Ironsi when he offered? Aha. Ifeajuna was the leader who had all the cards and kept them close to his heart.

You are absolutely right. Ifeajuna was the true leader of the coup.

laudate:


Again, you persist in churning out the fallacy that the Biafran forces wiped out the Nigerian soldiers at Ore, when nothing could be further from the truth, all because you have chosen to swallow Madiebo's tales. Madiebo was far from the battlefield and was relying on second-hand information & dispatches. Those who were right there, have made it clear that the federal side vanquished the Biafran soldiers at Ore, still you are disputing the facts. Ok, believe what you like if it makes you feel better!

As for the Midwest, the Biafran forces took advantage of the fact that the federal side did not have a battalion on ground in that region, to attack the old Midwest. Ojukwu had agreed with Ejoor, that the Midwest would remain a neutral territory. But when Ejoor's back was turned, what did Ojukwu do? He gave instructions for the invasion. Less than a month later, the federal side took over the old Midwest again, & retrieved it from the Biafran forces. Where were your effective Biafran forces when the federal soldiers regained hold of the territory?

Interesting, mind providing a source to that claim that Ojukwu and Ejoor agreed on the neutrality of the midwest?? And of course all is fair in war right? We didn't fire the first shots, your Federal side did at Garden (July 6,1967), and the invasion of the Midwest was only reactionary as well as diversionary...at the time the Midwest though neutral, was still very much Federal territory..so Biafrans had every right and reason to take the war to Nigerian soil as you did to ours

Naija9090:


Tell me one thing, just one thing Igbo have ever done to Yorubas? Just one! I'm waiting! I'll tell you 10 or more evil, wicked and heartless things Yorubas have done to Igbos for no reason but out the hate, wickedness and heartlessness innately in your hearts. Hypocrites!

This old jobless man, you will surely kill yourself soon and we will rejoice here on nairaland.

owodokiri:
A moderator moved this nonsense to the homepage irrespective of the fact that this so called "conversations" are nothing but hear says.. Nobody was there in the dead of the night to record all these nonsense. The same moderator has been going all over place banning and yanking off posts that run against his wishes.. Some peoples level of ethnic hate is amazing..

[color=#006600][/color]

I agree with you.
It was the type of 'ethnic hate' that descended on the Igbo military officers and political leadership that masterminded the January 1966 coup, despite the fact that they were well represented in the government they overthrew, because of their selfish and inordinate ambition to rule the country at all cost.

logica:
How can they report what they didn't witness? We are talking about events which occurred before the arrival of reinforcements.

That's the problem, the Valor of the Federal troops in the Midwest though not in doubt was definitely amplified to unprecedented heights of exaggeration, do you know a platoon size of just 80 Biafran soldiers were responsible for the biggest ambush ever in the civil war at Abagana?

1) The ring leaders and most of the perpetrators oof the coup were IGBOS
2) Political and military leaders of the Northern and Western regions were murdered but those of the IGBOS were spared
3) The immediate beneficiary of the coup, Gen Ironsi was an IGBO
4) Gen Ironsi failed to punished the coup plotters but instead abrogated the federal structure and instituted a unitary system
What can you deduced from this?

logica:

Story by Ademoyega, the deluded and deceived, sportscar driving Major who happened to be the last of the 5 Majors to be recruited; and who had very little information on the real purpose of the coup. Why didn't Ifeajuna allow him to arrest Ironsi when he offered? Aha. Ifeajuna was the leader who had all the cards and kept them close to his heart.

as deluded as it is , it's regarded as the most authoritative book that describe the true nature of the coup and for your info ifeajuna was never the leader his position in the army(arms distribution ) makes him important how were they to carry out the coup in the first place if getting arms will be difficult??

I am not here to cry with you whether the coup was Igbo or not cos I know as a matter of fact that the coup was not an Igbo coup just young nigerians who had access to arms and decided to right the wrong of the leaders
I really don't know your argument
ademola was a university of London graduate, the last to be commissioned into the Nigeria army and his story was so vivid you did think you are in the midst of the action now I wonder if any of your generation will able to write something of such masterpiece ,guess you are the deluded after all

Nigeria youths wasting their time on the events of olden days when there is no colored television yet,[/b]and they want Nigeria to move forward[b],wonder how Americans or Germans at this modern age will still be laying counter claims and accusations on each other over their old generation civil wars of more than 50 years ago.

Qelvin:

do you know a platoon size of just 80 Biafran soldiers were responsible for the biggest ambush ever in the civil war at Abagana?

That I will not doubt (especially with documentary evidence) An ambush is what it is. Book Haram had been using this element of surprise and knowledge of the terrain for years against the Nigerian Army. Just know that the story of about 180 soldiers holding forte at a bridge at Ore is no moonlight tale. It is historical fact.

logica:
Guy, you can make things up sha. Mid-West succumbed easily because of the collusion of the Delta-Igbos. Initially the non-Igbos from the Mid-West were ambivalent towards the Biafrans until the Biafrans started a reign of terror of r@pe and murders and general ill-treatment; culminating in mutiny against the Biafrans and eventually leading up to anarchy in the region.

There were definitely pockets of resistance by the Federal side that were easily brushed away from the Biafrans, and that goes without saying that they weren't collaborations by Midwest Igbo officers as well, but then such is the case in all wars! Biafran troops did commit atrocities albeit in much more controlled situations than the Federal side who just ran amok and slaughtered 700 innocent civilians Asaba, and that's not including the various undocumented incidences of Federal atrocities in areas like Ogwashi ukwu, Agbor, Iselle Ukwu etc...those people still recount those tales of horror till these day.

Qelvin:
A bunch of perhaps misguided military boys took the law into their own hands and decided to terminate the lives of their colleagues, truth is I would never know what got into Nzeogwu l's head to mastermind that infamous January coup...most of us weren't born then so we can only read about it from accounts of others who saw it all (and trust the stories will be riddled with half truths and inconsistent lies), so we can bash an entire ethnic group for the January coup, but it will border on sheer idiocy and hypocrisy to think the subsequent coups that happened in Nigeria weren't as bloody and merciless in its executions as the one in 1966, and that surely didn't justify the massacres of defenceless and innocent Igbo civilians all over Nigeria...but hey the great Igbo race paid the price for the misadventures of some soldiers, we have licked out wounds and moved on, today Nigeria remains a cess spit of decadence and I'm pretty sure Igbos aren't to blame for it this time.

All I just pray for right now is that my people leave Nigeria and find the much needed peace and serenity that we so need, the rest can kill each other there...it must happen in my lifetime,even if blood will have to be she'd again, I will proudly sacrifice mine for my children to enjoy their peace.

Your mouth SWEET DIE
ode ni bobo yi sha

femarse:


for your info ifeajuna was never the leader his position in the army(arms distribution ) makes him important

Once I read that part, I knew your knowledge of the coup was at best minimal.

logica:
That I will not doubt (especially with documentary evidence) An ambush is what it is. Book Haram had been using this element of surprise and knowledge of the terrain for years against the Nigerian Army. Just know that the story of about 180 soldiers holding forte at a bridge at Ore is no moonlight tale. It is historical fact.

But then that is hardly any feat to be proud about, considering the fact that in many sectors of the war in Biafra, a vastly numbered force of Nigerian troops blessed with a preponderance of ferrets, saladin armoured cars, light and heavy weapons still saw hell when they faced a thin force of Biafrans armed with just bolt action rifles and small arms, so there were heroics on both sides...just not told enough by those that weren't there.

oyatz:
1) The ring leaders and most of the perpetrators oof the coup were IGBOS
2) Political and military leaders of the Northern and Western regions were murdered but those of the IGBOS were spared
3) The immediate beneficiary of the coup, Gen Ironsi was an IGBO
4) Gen Ironsi failed to punished the coup plotters but instead abrogated the federal structure and instituted a unitary system
What can you deduced from this?

Yoruba army officers that was involved in the coup,what will you call them,Yoruba coup abi

Kenzico:
The Events of 1966 coup has major scar on Nigerian politics.


R.I.P Major Pam.


I pity his wife and Family back then


IGBOs spilled the first blood

Reason i will never pity the IGBO over biafra war anymore, Their Aguiyi ironsi greediness with his coa IGBO soldiers cost the South East over 3million lives. How i wish they are alive to witness how the return match was played..

No wonder they never taste power since then and will never taste power again..

Qelvin:

Biafran troops did commit atrocities albeit in much more controlled situations than the Federal side who just ran amok and slaughtered 700 innocent civilians Asaba, and that's not including the various undocumented incidences of Federal atrocities in areas like Ogwashi ukwu, Agbor, Iselle Ukwu etc...those people still recount those tales of horror till these day.

At Abudu, over 300 bodies, including those of children, were found in the Ossiomo river as the Biafrans withdrew. [46]

Similarly, on 20 September 1967, 'there was a mass killing of non-Ibo MidWesterners at Boji-Boji Agbor', and on 23 September, 'non-Ibo speaking MidWesterners were apprehended by rebel soldiers at Asaba, Ibusa and Agbor and taken [in two lorries] to a rubber plantation along Uromi-Agbor road and massacred'.[47]

More here:

http://rethinkingbiafra..com.ng/2012/10/biafran-war-crimes-horror-in-midwest.html?m=1

I had read about these massacres on other websites as well. You may search if you want to know more. And recall, all these occurred before the Federal troops led by Murtala (who happened to have his origins from Auchi) descended on Asaba and environs.

logica:


At Abudu, over 300 bodies, including those of children, were found in the Ossiomo river as the Biafrans withdrew. [46]

Similarly, on 20 September 1967, 'there was a mass killing of non-Ibo MidWesterners at Boji-Boji Agbor', and on 23 September, 'non-Ibo speaking MidWesterners were apprehended by rebel soldiers at Asaba, Ibusa and Agbor and taken [in two lorries] to a rubber plantation along Uromi-Agbor road and massacred'.[47]

More here:

http://rethinkingbiafra..com.ng/2012/10/biafran-war-crimes-horror-in-midwest.html?m=1

I had read about these massacres on other websites as well. You may search if you want to know more.

How come the Federal massacres are so much more documented in content and context that it spiraled an international outrage after the war? So much that documentaries were even made in those areas affected by Nigerian massacres and are accessible on youtube today!!, not denying that Biafrans didn't commit atrocities, but the chances that the Nigerian side committed atrocities at a more horrendous scale can't be overemphasized! There are very limited if credible reports of Biafran genocides.

waledeji:
Truly, Ibos are the root cause of Nigeria problems

No wonder Northerners hate igbos with passion, They Killed Tafa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Akintola, Ademulegun etc and spare the IGBOs..

Then Nnamdi Azikwe is the President and he was spared...


This what yoruba called Iyan Ogun Odun..

Qelvin:

How come the Federal massacres are so much more documented in contention that it spiraled an international outrage after the war? So much that documentaries were made in those areas affected by Nigerian massacres, not denying that Biafrans didn't commit atrocities, but the chances that the Nigerian side committed atrocities at a more horrendous scale can't be overemphasized! There are very limited if credible reports of Biafran genocides.

...maybe because some people are better at crying out than others.

logica:
...maybe because some people are better at crying out than others.

nice rebuttal, but you still haven't answered my question, definitely the oyinbo people that documented these massacres couldn't have loved the Biafrans more than the Nigerians if both armies committed atrocities.

[color=#006600][/color]

laudate:


It is hearsay, according to you. But his wife obviously heard the conversation between Pam and the coup plotters which took place in their house, when he was arrested. She was a witness. At the point where he was executed there were other soldiers present, who shared the account with their colleagues. Once you have witnesses to an event, there is every likelihood that a story would get out, or be leaked somewhere.

The source of your wisdom will not go into extinction.
That was critical reasoning at its best.

The Igbo race owe us, as a Nation, an apology for the high level of wickedness some of their military officers, in concert with their political leadership, carried out against other ethnic groups, in January 1966.
The Nigeria state also owe the Igbo race an unreserved apology for the massacre of the Igbo race after the counter coup of July1966.
The genocide that took place in the Northern part of the country after the counter coup of July 1966 was an abdication of government responsibility and was a serious let down of the Igbos as citizens of the country.