My old man hadly opens up but when he do tears will nearly roll down his cheeks.
He was a very big time farmer and a trader when they brought the war to our door-step.He told us that as young as he is,his father(my grandfather)tried to hide him from being enlisted to the Biafran army but our villagers later "suo ya imi",thats how he joined army with little training.He fought along Calabar axis with heavy heart cos his elderly father was not in good shape.He narrate that,they are the ones who dugg the trenches during the night and covered it with palm fonds in anticiption of federal armoured tanks to fell in...just to curtail their advancement.They had to ate anything eatable just to sustain life____yet the spirit lives on"The Biafran Spirit"...and the story continues....
On the my mothers side,she was very industrious though a "petty trader" who deals on kola nuts and items,the war stops her from going to west(yoruba areas) to brings her goods...thats how they were made poor when the war reaches its apex.
She always thank God for Uburu salt lake for keeping them of the dread KWASHOKOR.

story neva finish o!

torkaka:

thank you,thank you, you are far too kind

Stop editing my post in your quotes?

Eziachi: Although many of you knew mine but again I will tell those that doesn't that I was a student of Bishop Shanahan College Orlu when the war broke out. I was only 17 years old and I was the youngest of four other brothers but 3 sibling sisters. Our father was a member of the Eastern house of parliament. My father and my senior brother joined the army first and soon two of my other brothers joined. My big brother was among those that fought in Oguta side by side with Ojukwu.
On february 7th 1968 after a raid by the Nigerian airforce, on a heaving Eke market day, I lost 13 members of my immediate family including my grandparent whom happens to be in the packed market. Our community lost not less than 600 people on that particular air raid. No one attends your funeral because they are busy burying their own dead.
It became so desperate after that raid that I decided to enlist along with my remaining brother still at home. Our mother cried for days because, not just our father but five of his boys will be going into the theatre of a brutal war. But I had made up my mind, that I don't want to die at home with women and children as the bombs rain down morning and night without let up on markets, churches, schools, hospitals, nothing is spared. The planes bomb anywhere they see corrugated roof shines forth.
To prevent this many people used palm front to cover the roof of their houses with palm fronts and little lighting in the night is a no-no, because it attracts the planes.

I was drafted to fight in Obudu and Ogoja after just two weeks of intensive training at Isiekenesi in Ideato. I was in Obudu when the war ended. I made many friends among my Biafra soldiers, may of them from Efik, Annang, Ibibio. My commanding officer Mr Ephraim Henshaw is from a town called James town in the present Akwa Ibom state. We kept in touch until his death in 1989. A wonderful man, he took care of me during this period like a son and I was the youngest in our battalion. Food was nothing but terrible.
It was at times difficult to make friend because before you get to know someone, he is blown into pieces in front of you and you start again.

When the war ended, we were asked to go home just like that. Many took their weapons home with them (tHE FOUNDATION OF ARMED ROBBERY). I buried mine there.
There were no transport home. I walked from Obudu to the present day Imo state for two weeks, mainly because of the dangers on the road faced by the returning Biafra soldiers in the hand of Nigerian soldiers. So we treck at night and hide in the thick bushes in the day without any food.
Sometimes you met your luck with village people who will give you some food and water. I will always be grateful to Efik and Ibibio people.

When I got home after two weeks, I met my father and my big brother but unfortunately my three other brothers did not make it and we never saw their corpses too bury, my mothers world was gone and my father only brother too did not made it back.
Their was funeral rites for all of them three years after war when it dawn on us that they are not coming home again and my mother died three years later after losing three sons, brother in-law, father/mother law and his immediate younger brother murdered in front of her own parent by Nigerian soldier on returning from the front.
There is more, but I am busy now.

I salute your courage and sacrifice big bros.

I was 3 years old when war broke out and my earliest memory was hiding in animal stables with my mother and sisters.
My memory is very sketchy so I would tell what I can recall. My father who worked in the ministry of workd was in the UK studying when war broke out.

I recall there were many families hundreds of people hiding in the same shelters which I imagine was built for farm animals.

Later I recall being in Umuahia where I we lived in a room where pig /animal food was stored and whilst my mother was out trying to earn some money, we were gorging our selves on the pig /animal feed , a type of flour substance, as there were rarely any food to eat most days and we were lucky if we managed to get one meal a day.

My health was affected and I came down with Kwashakor and my sisters had a common condition known as "standstill" where they can freeze in middle of walking. i think this may have been cause by mental fear of stepping on landmine.

I remembered also that I had my first girlfriend during my time at Umuahia and by the this time I was 6 years old and she was a year older and we became intimate and were caught by some of my older cousins and they would not let me forget the incident for the rest of my childhood

Salt was like gold dust and my mother had to walk miles to her sisters to get some and later started to trade in it.

I remember once when there were some bags of charitable food being distributed in the town centre and there was a mighty scramble; one person was beaten to death for trying to be greedy or stealing.

I remembered that people were discouraged from carrying large white metal pans / containers on their head during day time as it was said to attract bombs from Aircrafts.

I remembered that all the local young boys were pre-occupied by playing soldiers games and we had wooden guns carved out and marched and played at fighting wars.

I remembered that when i was in my home village, the Biafran army were coming and conscripting any males of age usually approx 15years upward and many mothers were disgusing their sons in women's clothes.

We were in Umauhaia when the war ended and though we were sad we lost the war, the overwhelming emotion was to be reliefed and thankful that the suffering was over.
On the sides of the roads Biafran soldiers dumped their weapons in big heaps.

I recall witnessing the Nigerian Army and some Hausas in their traditional attire driving through the streets of Umuahia on top of army trucks as we watched them from our front yards.

Thank you all for sharing your powerful stories. I am now led to believe this saying: I mee elu mee ala, Igbo ga di.

But come, Maazi GenBuhari, how pikin take learn intimacy?

When did Buhari become Igbo or even Eastern? hmmm . Well nice story though

All the stories here were interesting to read.

Oga Eziachi, there is not much any of us can do on NL to show appreciation to you but say "thank you for your sacrifice" thus, Thank you.

I am enjoying this thread a lot. Let us hear more stories.

Are there any Ibibio-Efik or Ijaw sons in the house? I would like to hear some of their stories.

ekt_bear: I am enjoying this thread a lot. Let us hear more stories.

It's good that we learn about others.

Never judge a book by its cover

One_Naira: When did Buhari become Igbo or even Eastern? hmmm . Well nice story though

I was still in my dad's crotch waiting to get squirmed out. It took at least 15yrs for that to happen.

you couldnt have been in your dad's crotch because s.perm only have a lifespan of 120 or so days.

are you confusing yourself with the female ovum?

the entire process of spermatogenesis to e.jaculation doesnt last longer than a few months.

abi you were frozen ni?

^^^nah u sabi

Eziachi:
Although many of you knew mine but again I will tell those that doesn't that I was a student of Bishop Shanahan College Orlu when the war broke out. I was only 17 years old and I was the youngest of four other brothers but 3 sibling sisters. Our father was a member of the Eastern house of parliament. My father and my senior brother joined the army first and soon two of my other brothers joined. My big brother was among those that fought in Oguta side by side with Ojukwu.
On february 7th 1968 after a raid by the Nigerian airforce, on a heaving Eke market day, I lost 13 members of my immediate family including my grandparent whom happens to be in the packed market. Our community lost not less than 600 people on that particular air raid. No one attends your funeral because they are busy burying their own dead.
It became so desperate after that raid that I decided to enlist along with my remaining brother still at home. Our mother cried for days because, not just our father but five of his boys will be going into the theatre of a brutal war. But I had made up my mind, that I don't want to die at home with women and children as the bombs rain down morning and night without let up on markets, churches, schools, hospitals, nothing is spared. The planes bomb anywhere they see corrugated roof shines forth.
To prevent this many people used palm front to cover the roof of their houses with palm fronts and little lighting in the night is a no-no, because it attracts the planes.

I was drafted to fight in Obudu and Ogoja after just two weeks of intensive training at Isiekenesi in Ideato. I was in Obudu when the war ended. I made many friends among my Biafra soldiers, may of them from Efik, Annang, Ibibio. My commanding officer Mr Ephraim Henshaw is from a town called James town in the present Akwa Ibom state. We kept in touch until his death in 1989. A wonderful man, he took care of me during this period like a son and I was the youngest in our battalion. Food was nothing but terrible.
It was at times difficult to make friend because before you get to know someone, he is blown into pieces in front of you and you start again.

When the war ended, we were asked to go home just like that. Many took their weapons home with them (tHE FOUNDATION OF ARMED ROBBERY). I buried mine there.
There were no transport home. I walked from Obudu to the present day Imo state for two weeks, mainly because of the dangers on the road faced by the returning Biafra soldiers in the hand of Nigerian soldiers. So we treck at night and hide in the thick bushes in the day without any food.
Sometimes you met your luck with village people who will give you some food and water. I will always be grateful to Efik and Ibibio people.

When I got home after two weeks, I met my father and my big brother but unfortunately my three other brothers did not make it and we never saw their corpses too bury, my mothers world was gone and my father only brother too did not made it back.
Their was funeral rites for all of them three years after war when it dawn on us that they are not coming home again and my mother died three years later after losing three sons, brother in-law, father/mother law and his immediate younger brother murdered in front of her own parent by Nigerian soldier on returning from the front.
There is more, but I am busy now.

I have much respect for you SIR