₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian Police called a press conference to show the world that activist, Omoyele Sowore, is being looked after in detention, backfired spectacularly. Sowore, who was sporting a bandaged arm, told the press that he had been expecting this charade since yesterday. He claimed that he was attacked in detention yesterday by the police, and his hand was broken. He also said that when he requested for a Doctor to treat his hand, they called a Nurse to come and bandage it instead

He also said that was arrested for no known reason, and the IGP, Egbetokun, remains illegal. The Nigerian Police hurriedly ended the press conference


https://www.facebook.com/KOIKIMEDIA/videos/765862569165132/?app=fbl

Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has said Nigeria’s 1999 constitution must be abolished. Anyaoku said Angel Gabriel can’t save Nigeria if it continues with the 1999 constitution.

Speaking in Lagos, the former Commonwealth Secretary-General said the 1999 constitution will prevent Nigeria from realizing its full potential.

He insisted that the constitution is a major impediment to Nigeria’s unity, stability, and development.

According to Anyaoku: “Nigeria was more united, more stable, and developing towards its potential,” he said, contrasting that era with the current stagnation.

“As long as Nigeria continues to operate under this constitution, even an angel like Gabriel cannot save it.”

Anyaoku explained that pluralistic nations thrive when they address their diversity through true federal constitutions, which allow for regional autonomy and decentralised power.

He stated that Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution failed to accommodate the country’s diverse cultural and regional landscape, stifling the nation’s capacity for cohesive development.


https://dailypost.ng/2024/11/14/with-1999-constitution-angel-gabriel-cant-save-nigeria-emeka-anyaoku/

Yoruba's and Igbos, eternal political enemies that should not share the same geopolitical space

BrightTutee:
Funny man. He went to police headquarters with toothbrush and things he will need should he get detained.

You dont know that is normal in case he is detained?

I dont think this Onoh guy remembers that Obi dud not leave APGA until he had served out his tenure and Ojukwu was dead about 3 years

Eze Ndigbo Ghana, Eze Chukwudi Ihenetu, hosted the Ooni of Ife in his Palace in Accra, Ghana in January 2025.

Mr Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), on Friday donated N20m to the dentistry department of the University of Calabar (UniCal).

The donation, which was made in Calabar in the presence of some of the students of the department, is expected to be utilised for the procurement of more dental chairs.

According to Obi, I am interested in creating awareness that will aid the development of the people, and not discussing politics.
“N20 million will buy five dental chairs. We cannot have a society where we spend millions to buy cars for politicians while young people lack tools to be educated with.

“Our schools lack laboratories, classroom chairs, but politicians are living like stars; this shouldn’t be.

“We must dismantle it and invest in the critical areas of development which are measurable, like education, health and pulling people out of poverty.”
He also noted that governance was about the people, adding that he was struggling to build a society where the child of a nobody could be somebody.

He added that rather than talking about 2027, the nation’s leaders should be talking about the average Nigerian who could not put food on their tables, send their children to school or go to hospitals to get adequate care.

“I was once like these students; that is why I am pushing for us to build a proper society. As for 2027, I will be there, I assure you, and I will contest,” he said.

https://thewhistler.ng/peter-obi-donates-n20m-to-unical-dentistry-department/amp/

Peter Obi never seems to rest. This month of July, the guy has donated to

Nsukka School Of Dentistry- 15 million Naira

Muslimima Almajiri School, Kawo, Kaduna- 5 million Naira

Philomena College Of Nursing, Edo State - 15 million Naira

St John Vianney Science College, Anambra State- 10 million Naira

The governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the upcoming Anambra state election, Chief Jude Ezenwafor, has escaped assassination move on his life after he was shot brutally by hoodlums.
Chief Ezenwafor, who is currently in a private hospital in Abuja where he is due for a surgery session, told journalists early Saturday morning that he suffered a near death situation when gunmen accosted him around Wuse 2, Abuja, on Friday night.

Still nursing injuries amidst excruciating pains, Chief Ezenwafor confirmed that he was on his way home after an appointment when the incident appened.

"Im currently in the hospital. The doctors are making efforts to operate me so that they can pull out bullets from my body,

The PDP Governorship candidate was shot alongside two persons who were with him.

The King of Igbos in Ghana, Eze Chukwudi Ihenetu, met with Ghanaian Minister of foreign affairs, Mr Samuel Ablakwa, yesterday in Accra, Ghana. He released a Statement on his Facebook page today after the meeting

Interestingly, while Eze Ihenetu was meeting the Minister, fake news propagators went about spreading false News that the meeting was an arrest, and that he had been detained


PRESS RELEASE
REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN IGBO VILLAGE AND ALLEGED LAND ACQUISITION

Following fruitful deliberations held on 16th July, 2025 with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ghana, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP), I, Eze Ohazurume 1 of Ndigbo, as leader of the Igbo Community in Ghana, wish first and foremost to express my deep regrets and sincere apologies to His Excellency, the President of the Republic, the Government, Chiefs and Traditional Leaders and the Good people of Ghana for the agitations caused by the news of the acquisition of 50 acres of land (250 plots) in Ningo Prampram in the Greater Accra Region for the creation of an "Igbo Village".

I wish to state unequivocally and without reservation that no plot of land in Ningo Prampram or elsewhere in Ghana has been purchased or is intended to be purchased in the future for the said purpose of establishing an Igbo Village within the territory of Ghana.

My stay in Ghana since 1995 has been marked by respect for the laws of the land and the customs of the people. Over the years, I have not only led efforts to support the welfare of the Igbo people in Ghana but have undertaken many philanthropic projects to foster togetherness among our people who have been brought together by economic and family ties.

I wish to clarify that the claims of the establishment of an Igbo Kingdom which has generated much discontentment stem from an interview granted to Crystal TV in 2013 following my ceremonial coronation as Eze Ohazurume I of Ndigbo in September 2012. The plans discussed in that interview never materialized and were cancelled as far back as 2014.

I wish to assure His Excellency the President of the Republie that, my people and I are very much conscious of the ties of brotherhood between Ghana and Nigeria which transcend political borders and therefore are committed to continue to live and co-exist peacefully-with our Ghanaian brothers and sisters. In that regard, I can assure you that we as a respectable people, cognizant of the laws of the land, shall not engage in any activities that would unravel the strong relationship between our countries, in particular, between the Igbo people and the Ghanaian community.

I take this opportunity to call for calm and restraint on this matter and urge the Igbo Community residing here in Ghana to live peaceably with our Ghanaian brothers and sisters in full respect for the laws of the land and in honour of the values of dignity and integrity that we uphold as a people.

Let me reiterate, for the record, that no portion of land has been or is intended to be acquired in Ningo Prampram or any other part of Ghana for use as an "1igbo Village or Igbo Kingdom".
We shall not establish an Igbo Kingdom in Ghana. We renew our full respect for the laws of Ghana.

Signed

(Eze Ndigbo)

https://www.facebook.com/100063681511092/posts/pfbid0kJ1bEmvrquZGH4gCjgY3rAXN27FtqAqVBFaD5jFnQ9HdMbgyXaKAHZMWPEGEbw1Sl/?app=fbl

Yesterday morning, after a condolence visit to the family of the late Awujale of ljebuland in ljebu Ode, Ogun State, I tried to be in Daura, Katsina State to attend the burial our late President Muhammadu Buhari, but all my efforts proved abortive, due to the logistical challenge beyond my control.

I immediately sent a message to a member of late President Buhari's family explaining my situation. He graciously replied that it was quite understandable, and I made a promise to come today.


Today, accompanied by Senators Ireti Kingibe, Okey Ezea, and Obidient National Coordinator Dr. Tanko Yunusa, was in Daura with Vice president Shettima, Former Vice President Atiku, Senate President Akpabio, Governor Radda of Katsina, Governor Zulum of Borno State, and many other dignitaries, to pay our last respects to the late President Muhammadu Buhari and to console his family.

I recall vividly meeting with President Buhari in 2022 during my campaign. He said to me: "Peter, you seem be everywhere and loved by the people. And I wish you the best, please, if you win, do not forget the poor."

That moment has been the thought I have had since the news of his demise. His concern for the poor should remain a reminder to us all.
May the Almighty God, who has called both our late President and the Awujale of ljebuland to eternal rest, grant them peace, and comfort their families and indeed our dear nation, as their passing is a deep loss to Nigeria. May their legacies service and dignity never be forgotten.

- PO

Topman7:
Sowore is a Liar.

Buhari Never told any soldier to “open fire” on EndSars protesters, and not a single protester was killed by the Nigerian military.

Sowore you are Shameless.

So the video of DK Quick laying on the floor with others as the sound of gunfire erupted was all made up?

Videos of people with gunmen shot wounds in hospital were all staged?

Difrent:
Don't let them in on this now, let them keep using emotions
While those that know what to do will work hard and continue to win them In every election cycle

And it is those winning elections that brought us to where we are today

People like Buhari

As bad as Buhari's regime was, he was better than Tinubu

Sowore didn't spare Buhari on his Facebook page:

Muhammadu Buhari slaughtered hundreds of Shiites, men, women and even children

He ordered soldiers Of the HQ Nigerian Army to open fire on peaceful #EndSARS protesters waving the Nigerian flag.

He "disappeared" Dadiyata.

He ordered the massacre of young southeasterners he branded IPOB.


He disobeyed court orders, jailed critics arbitrarily, destroyed the economy, and ruined everything he touched.


And now, because he's dead, some people with selective memory want us to mourn or worship him?

Shameful.

NO, we do not mourn tyrants. We remember their victims.

All Igbos should feel free to mourn whoever they wish to mourn, however, the truth must be told.

Muhammadu Buhari has been involved in the killing of Igbo people for over 50 years, and I will enumerate the instances this man was involved in killing our people

July 1966- Buhari was actively involved in the July 1966 coup in which hundreds of Igbo officers were killed

1967-1970 - Buhari fought in the civil war against Igbos, and only God above knows how many Igbos he sent to the great beyond in that time.

1984- After Buhari became military dictator, there was a steep rise in public executions by firing squad. Retroactive decrees he came up with sent many young men to the stakes including Bath Owoh, younger brother of famous actor, Nkem Owoh, who was publicly executed

September 2017: Operation Python dance - In 2017, the Biafran agitation was on, but it was peaceful and there was no armed group in the South East. Buhari returned from a medical trip abroad, declared opration python dance against unarmed peaceful agitators, declared IPOB a terrorist organisation despite the group not having any record of violence at the time. Soldiers swung into action in the South East, killed and tortured many Igbo youths, and the South East has not known peace since then.


We will speak to them in a language they will understand

They are just a dot in a circle

The Nigerian authorities must take urgent steps to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the central state of Benue where attacks by gunmen have displaced at least 500,000 people, many of whom are languishing in squalid camps without access to sufficient water, poor sanitation, food and healthcare, Amnesty International said today.

In the most recent attack on 14 June, gunmen raided the town of Yelewata, killing more than 100 people and forcing over 3,941 more to flee their homes. The smell of decomposing bodies hung in the air during a visit to the affected community by Amnesty International in the aftermath of the attacks. Signs of the recent violence were unmistakable with bullet shells littering the ground, and mass graves that had been newly dug to bury the dead.

Survivors were seen carrying bags of grain, bundles of firewood and other household items as they sought safety and shelter in camps for internally displaced persons (IDP). According to interviews with IDPs in Gwer West, Agatu, Ukum, Kwande, Logo, Guma and Makurdi IDP camps, as well as a makeshift IDP camp at Makurdi Modern Market, communities who come under attack are often left to fend for themselves with security forces only arriving long after the gunmen had left.

“The Nigerian authorities have failed the people of Benue state again and again. Rampant attacks by gunmen have deprived thousands of people of their rights to life, physical integrity, liberty, freedom of movement and access to livelihoods. Survivors of these harrowing attacks face the fresh torment of being displaced in overcrowded, unhygienic camps where disease runs rampant and essentials such as food and clean water are scarce,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

“The situation risks creating a humanitarian disaster, which the authorities must urgently address by ensuring that people’s essential needs are met by providing desperately needed aid.”

Besides interviews with IDPs, Amnesty International also spoke to camps officials, medical workers and non-governmental organizations in the affected areas. It found that communities across Benue state, including Gwer West, Gwer-East, Agatu, Apa, Ukum, Kwande, Logo,and Guma, continue to face a brutal pattern of violence.

This is typically unleashed at night, although daytime attacks also occur, with gunmen systematically overrunning villages, using firearms to carry out indiscriminate or targeted killings from a distance. This is accompanied by brutal close-range violence with machetes and knives used to inflict grievous injuries, including hand amputations.

The Nigerian authorities have failed the people of Benue state again and again.



Misery of the IDP camps
As of 31 December 2024, an estimated 500,182 people had fled to IDPs camps in Benue state to escape years of attacks by gunmen. More than 10,000 additional people have been displaced since the start of 2025 following attacks on communities in Gwer West, Agatu, Ukum (Gbagir), Kwande (Anwase), Logo, and Guma (Yelewata, Agan, and Gbajimba), among others.

Amnesty International’s visits to IDP camps reveal wholly inadequate shelter, exposing IDPs to harsh weather, overcrowding, and heightened risks of disease, as well as gender-based violence, including rape and domestic violence.

Access to healthcare is also a major challenge in the IDP camps with a lack of treatment for the most common diseases and ailments, such as malaria, typhoid, and stomach ulcers. According to a camp official, births occur almost daily in the IDP camps, with many pregnant women requiring medical attention but also contracting infections because of inadequate hygiene facilities.

An IDP told Amnesty International: “If we don’t get drugs, we just sit and watch the sick person helplessly.”

Many children are unable to exercise their right to an education in the camps.

“Our children no longer go to school and there are no arrangements by the authorities to teach children in the IDP camp. The government should bring an end to insecurity in our local government area and Benue state. Before that, provide us with food and proper shelter at the IDP camps,” an IDP told Amnesty International.

A camp official told Amnesty International that a makeshift school built in one of the camps had been shut down for over three years because camp authorities could not continue paying ad-hoc teachers their stipends.

There are hundreds of minors who fled their homes due to attacks and now live without parental care. The children were separated from their families while fleeing attacks on their villages and communities. The authorities have been unable to provide these vulnerable children with a safe place to live and essential services. Two female IDPs told Amnesty International:


“When we arrived, they [my children] left. I do not know where they have gone. I can’t speak with them; I don’t have a phone….I have 8 children and because we do not have enough space here in the IDP camp, many of them have left me and I do not know where they are.”

Amnesty International is calling on the Nigerian authorities to take immediate steps to provide sufficient and accessible humanitarian support to the survivors of these attacks. Authorities must take steps to domesticate and effectively implement the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons within the country’s legal system.

“The authorities’ persistent failure to hold suspected perpetrators to account is fueling a cycle of impunity that is making everyone feel unsafe. Authorities must now end the growing culture of impunity for these attacks.”

“We call on the authorities to ensure that all people displaced because of the attacks in Benue state are provided with adequate relief, including protection, shelter, food, clean water, sanitation and healthcare. Authorities must ensure that all people who have suffered losses from the crisis are also provided with adequate compensation,” said Isa Sanusi.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/nigeria-violence-and-widespread-displacement-leave-benue-facing-a-humanitarian-disaster/

Tension rose in Port Harcourt on Tuesday as youths from Ogoni communities took to the streets to protest against the recent killing of several Ogoni natives, allegedly by suspected herdsmen.

The demonstrators, under the banner of the South-South Youth Initiative, marched from major streets in the state capital to the Rivers State Police Command Headquarters, bearing placards with bold inscriptions such as “Stop the Killings in Ogoni” and “Police Intervene in the Killings of Ogoni People.”

Their mission: to submit a formal petition to the police and demand urgent intervention to prevent further loss of lives in their communities.

Leading the protest was Saviour Oscar, Director of the South-South Youth Initiative. Addressing the press and security officials, Oscar decried what he described as continuous attacks on peaceful Ogoni residents and the silence of law enforcement authorities. “Our people are being killed, and no one is being held accountable. We demand immediate arrests and prosecution,” Oscar stated during the protest.

The protesters were received by Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Alhassan Kawu, who assured the group that their grievances would be formally delivered to the Commissioner of Police.

“We have heard your demands and will ensure your petition gets to the right quarters,” he said.

However, tensions briefly escalated when the youth leader challenged the DCP on the lack of arrests or visible action from the police. Video footage shows a heated exchange between the protest leaders and police representatives.


In response, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Iyke Okoro, stepped in to calm nerves and assured the protesters that operations are already underway to address the situation in Ogoniland.

“There are ongoing security efforts targeted at apprehending those responsible. We understand your pain and are working towards restoring peace,” ACP Okoro said.

The protesters warned that if the killings continue unchecked, communities may be forced to resort to self-defense measures. The peaceful demonstration has once again drawn national attention to the fragile security situation in parts of Rivers State, especially in rural areas where locals allege rising attacks by herdsmen.

Ogoni leaders and residents are now calling on both state and federal authorities to intensify security operations in the region and bring perpetrators to justice before the situation escalates further.

https://www.channelstv.com/2025/07/01/ogoni-youths-protest-against-alleged-herdsmen-killings-demand-police-action/

Politicstoday:
ADC a new coalition party that has failed before arrival 🤔🤔🤔🤔

Some of you don't realise how tired people are of 10 years of APC

A survivor of the gunmen attack, Godwin Onuoha, and indigene of Ikwo, in Ebonyi State, has narrated from his hospital bed what happened in the Ogboji massacre in Anambra State. Speaking in Ikwo dialect, Onuoha said that Ebonyi development union of Ogboji were having their meeting on Monday in the evening when gunmen in vehicles stormed the venue and ordered all of them to lay down on the floor. He said at first, they thought it was the Police coming to make arrest and complied.

Then the gunmen demanded to know which of the was 'Augustine Odumo', Chairman of the Ebonyi development union. When none of them would reveal who was Odumo, the gunmen dragged Godwin up and shot him in the arm and he fell. They dragged him up again and threatened to finish him if he did not show them Odumo, so he pointed out Odumo

He said they immediately dragged Odumo up, confirmed his identity and shot him dead on the spot. Onuoha said he tried to back away after witnessing their Chairman killed, but one of the gunmen shot him again. Pandemonium then broke out as people tried to escape and gunmen shooting sporadically. He said that some like him managed to escape with bullet wounds but eleven people were killed


https://www.facebook.com/unwuekumenyi/videos/1383145706310464/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

I don't speak Hausa but the individual in the picture is sad to have confirmed in the video below that he is younger brother to Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal

https://www.facebook.com/KOIKIMEDIA/videos/1937951203741965/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Peter Obi's brother, Ndibe Obi, has released the document with which he used to buy the property that was demolished in Lagos. He acquired the property through his company, Next Foods Limited, in 2011 at the cost of 280 million Naira.

Born in June 1925, Igwe Kenneth Orizu is the King of Nnewi, and is 100 years old. He is also the longest serving monarch in Igbo land, he has been King of Nnewi for 62 years. He ascended the throne of Anaedo on the death of his father, Igwe Josiah Nnaji Orizu, in 1963. The reign of Igwe Orizu has seen Nnewi turn from a village into the centre of the Nigerian automotive industry

In the 60's he led an effort to clear an evil forest in Nnewi known as the Agbedo forest. Under his reign, the Agbedo forest was cleared. Before then, no one dared enter the forest because it was believed that anyone who dared would die.

When the decision to clear the forest was taken and the date was fixed, no one dared to enter the forest because of the fear death or the unknown. Even when he gave his approval to get on with the job, everyone was afraid to be the first to start clearing the forest.

But when the lion-hearted monarch got there, he started the clearing first after praying, before they took over from him.

Today, the largest automotive and spare parts market in West Africa sits on that land

Happy 100th Birthday Igwe Orizu!

…Says property was purchased in 2011 and Lagos governor’s consent was obtained in 2013

By Vincent Ujumadu

The majority shareholder of Next Foods Ltd, Mr. Ndibe Obi, who is the younger brother of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has headed to the court to challenge the demolition of his property in Ikeja, Lagos.

Counsel the the company, Chief Emeka Okpoko, SAN, said in an interview in Awka on Thursday that the court processes have already begun.

He said: “We will make an order to be joined as parties to the case and seek leave for processes to be amended to incorporate the name of our client. We have an application seeking to set aside that judgment.

“We have a leg seeking to stay further execution. There is another leg seeking an injunction pending the hearing of the substantive matter. We also have a leg where we are saying convert this originating summons into pleading so that parties can defend the matter and for the court to hear from both sides and form an opinion”.


Going down memory lane, Okpoko said the property was purchased in 2011 and the consent of the governor of Lagos State was granted in 2013, adding that the property never had issues until the recent developments.

He added: “The land belongs to a company called Next Foods Ltd. Peter Obi’s younger brother is the majority shareholder of that company.

“The deed of assignment chronicled the history of that property right from Western Nigeria when the land registry was at Ibadan. That was when the last owners sold it. Their predecessor died leaving no will.

“When this event unfolded last Friday, I was called upon that some people came to claim execution. I spoke to the gateman there to know what they came with and he said they did not come with anything. I said there was no way they could come without a paper and he eventually saw a paper they came with.


“I read through the Form 41 and it was even talking about N5,700 owed and the order was to recover goods and chattels. The original case was between Deborah Olonwulogbo vs Unknown persons. I asked the security man if he did any transaction of N5700 and he said he didn’t have any dealing with anybody.

“I said we needed to trace the origin and from the document, I could see the case number which enabled us to go to the registry to unravel what happened. We traced the matter to a particular court and obtained the certified true copy based on the processes filed in the matter.

“When we went through it, we discovered that she, Deborah, commenced an originating summons for interpretation where there would be no controversy. Also, the process was seeking for possession, not title.
“We went through the affidavit and discovered that there were squatters on the property and that she owned the property and traveled to look after her sick husband and when she came back, she saw the squatters.”

Okpoko said he could not blame the judge that delivered the case that prompted the demolition because, according to him, going through the file, we saw that there was a motion for substituted service to be pasted on the company.

“My thinking told me that what they did was to go to a hidden place and placed it. Probably after pasting it, they got someone to remove it.

“The court insisted that they served hearing notices by same substituted means. I will not blame the judge because he saw that the order he gave was effective”, he said.

According to Okpoko, “Judgement was given in 2024 and they waited until this June 2025 to come for execution, when it was supposed to have been executed within six months.

“We have filled our own processes to show that truly speaking, we are the owners of the property. Nobody served us and we did not know the pendency of the matter. All we saw was this demolition.

“These are the issues we will pontificate in court and I believe and convinced that after hearing our own side of the story, I see no reason why we will not be successful.

“The case was filled in 2023 and judgement delivered in 2024 , but as I speak, I saw them flash Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, obtained in 2025. Prior to that, we found out that what they obtained was federal C of O obtained from the Federal Ministry of Works in Ikoyi Lagos.

“That was obtained in 2021 but we had our own in 2011 and governor’s consent in 2013. I don’t think federal C of O is applicable to Ikeja GRA, but I will further dip into that. I wonder whether at this point in time, there is still anything like approval in Ikeja GRA at this time everywhere in the area is built up. The C of O cannot change any transaction that has illegality or invalidity under it.”

Okpoko said the company has consistently been meeting its obligations to the Lagos State government.

“We have been making our annual returns to the Lagos State government till date. We have evidence to that and we will annex it”, he stated.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/06/peter-obis-brother-heads-to-court-over-demolition-of-lagos-property/

World renowned British author, Frederick Forsyth, was cremated and buried today in England, with Biafrans in attedance to support his family and friends. Frederick Forsyth wrote several classic novels such such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative that have all been made into movies. He has sold over 70 million books worldwide.

Forsyth started as a journalist for the BBC and was sent to cover the tumultuous events that happened in Nigeria in the mid 60's. He was in the Eastern Region when Ojukwu declared Biafra and stayed on to cover the war. He became close to Ojukwu and did his best to report to the outside world the horrors he witnessed inside Biafra, calling on the international community to help Biafrans with food and medical aid. He would later write the book "The Biafran Story" where he recounted his experience in Biafra. He remained a life long friend of Biafran's

In 2020, during reflection of 50 years since the war ended, Forsyth wrote this in the popular Guardian Newspaper of London:


Buried for 50 years: Britain’s shameful role in the Biafran war. A million children starved to death. I’m haunted by the images I saw there – and by the complicity of the Wilson government

This referred to the civil war in Nigeria that ended 50 years ago this month. It stemmed from the decision of the people of the eastern region of that already riot-racked country to strike for independence as the Republic of Biafra. As I learned when I got there as a BBC correspondent, the Biafrans, mostly of the Igbo people, had their reasons.

The federal government in Lagos was a brutal military dictatorship that came to power in 1966 in a bloodbath. During and following that coup, the northern and western regions were swept by a pogrom in which thousands of resident Igbo were slaughtered. The federal government lifted not a finger to help. It was led by an affable British-educated colonel, Yakubu Gowon. But he was a puppet. The true rulers were a group of northern Nigerian colonels. The crisis deepened, and in early 1967 eastern Nigeria, harbouring about 1.8 million refugees, sought restitution. A British-organised conference was held in Ghana and a concordat agreed. But Gowon, returning home, was flatly contradicted by the colonels, who tore up his terms and reneged on the lot. In April the Eastern Region formally seceded and on 7 July, the federal government declared war.

Biafra was led by the Eastern Region’s Oxford-educated former military governor, “Emeka” Ojukwu. London, ignoring all evidence that it was Lagos that reneged on the deal, denounced the secession, made no attempt to mediate and declared total support for Nigeria.


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/21/buried-50-years-britain-shamesful-role-biafran-war-frederick-forsyth

Well known African Website ThinkAfrica.net has rated the Igbos as the second largest ethnic group in Africa with 45 million people. The number one position goes Hausa's with over 70 million indigenous Hausas spread across Niger, Benin, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Ghana, Chad, Togo, Burkina Faso , Algeria and Nigeria

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thinkafrica.net/10largesttribes-in-africa/amp/

aribisala0:
Ojukwu called for Ibos to return on May 29 1967


The Coup that brought Gowon to power took place at the end of July 1966

By May the following year Ojukwu was STILL REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE the success of the coup.
Essentially he was playing games because of pride for 10 months.

Whether right or wrong coup is a military affair and you either fall in line or you fight.

He refused to fall in line and played dice with the lives of his people

That's what Ojukwu met Gowon in Aburi for, to discuss the way foward. The discussed and cane up with the Aburi agreement. Ojukwu promised to recognise the Gowon Regime in return that the Aburi agreement be implemented

However, Gowon reneged on the agreement he signed with Ojukwu, and this led directly to war

Guyman02:
This was very clear from Gowon comments that Ojukwu wanted every region to have control over it's military and Police which was part of the agreement that he felt later will not lead to national unity so he reneged on it

That's what Ojukwu told Gowon at Aburi, that events had shown that Nigeria needs to be run as a more loose federation so that none of the 4 Regions would be dominated through the centre. Gowon initially agreed, and the Aburi agreement was signed. Every Region had greater control resources, would have its own Police and the Army was even zoned according to Regions

Aburi was the last chance for Nigeria to restructured. Only for Gowon to return to Nigeria, use decree 13 to dissolve all 4 Regions and replace them with 12 states, then use Decree 15 to seize all resources. Completely destroying the Aburi agreement

He left Ojukwu with no choice but to declare Biafra

khayce:
Then we should not be scared to tell Ohaneze ," Ibos ruine the destiny and democracy in Nigeria" . Afterall they truncated the original structures.. the broke the workin system amd they put the killing nail on it. Posterity will always be unkind to them in this country . Even Babangida clearly stated their role again in the annulment of June 12. Those race are evil

And yet it is the rest of you that have been running Nigeria since the end of the war, and made it worse than before the war

Creamypie:
Both aguiyi ironsi Gowon and ojukwu caused the war. Gowon didnt or couldn't stop killing of igbos. Ironsi wouldn't try the January 1966 coupists and all the victims were from north and west, while it was interpreted that it was to install him as head of state since it was interpreted that he was from same zone as the coupists. He could have allowed orizu nwafor, a fellow igbo, who was senate president, to rule, but greed and lust for power, evem ending regional government and brought unitary or central one. Ojukwu hurriedly declared biafra. Pls note that ojukwu supported the unitary government. We still dey suffer it till date

Don't bring Ironsi into this, he was already dead more than one year before the war began