₦airaland Forum

Twistaray:
Ohhh really?

Let me show you the real coward in reality and not on NL

Oya take :



Colonel Oyinlade Iluyomade (rtd) is a civil war veteran, renowned for his role in curtailing the onslaught of the Biafran army at Ore, Ondo State.

Your role during the civil war, particularly how you curtailed the onslaught of the Biafran soldiers at Ore has been spoken about by fellow military men like General Alabi Isama, what exactly happened at the war front?

When the civil war commenced around June to July 1967, I was based in Ibadan where I commanded a small unit. But I joined the military in 1952 with Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and Sani Abacha, who were my colleagues. I was sent to India for military training to be commissioned as Infantry, that is, to fight wars. The war started from the north, but it got to a point when the Biafran soldiers wanted to break through and conquer the West, they believed that if they conquered the West, it would be easy for them to manoeuvre their way through to the North. So, they wanted to break through Ore into the West, then straight to Lagos. But, at the beginning of August, I was despatched to Ore village to act as Security Officer, to ensure internal security and, to make the civilians aware of the presence of the federal troops. I was there with 33 soldiers. Later, Biafra captured Mid West, and arrived in Benin. This meant that their next target was the West. So I was told by then Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo, who was the Commander in Ibadan, to move to Ore border, which is about 19 miles to Ore village. Then, I moved there that night but I told Obasanjo that I was ill-equipped to curtail the Biafran attack. What can 33 soldiers do? So, he promised to reinforce and he did keep to his promise. Then, our total strength grew to 179 soldiers to defend the place.

I had premonition of danger and when I got to Ore, I deployed my troops towards the Western region. The bridge at Ofosu was the boundary, so I went ahead to survey the area to know the mountainous and forested areas. And I deployed my troops, so if there would be an attack on the West, they would have to cross the bridge. So I safeguarded the bridge and gave my troops instruction not to allow anybody cross over. By that time, there was an instruction that I shouldn’t allow anybody into the West.

After deployment of troops, I rose up from my trench at about 12 midnight, it started to rain heavily, but I told the troops not to leave their trenches. So, we dug in. Then, when I saw the skyline of the vehicles of the Biafran soldiers coming towards us, I shouted that no one should fire except me. And the battle started minutes past midnight. But the bridge was so heavy that they could not penetrate. If they had known that we had a small number, maybe they could have made the effort to penetrate. So we confused them, the place was well secured and we never lost any soldier.



One can deduce from your exploits then that you were proactive and strategic in battle, do you observe such qualities in today’s military operation?

I was the only officer, the others were other ranks so I commanded them. I don’t know how the current Army is deployed and how they work. But, the way I look at them now, I would not want to comment but they know how they operate. But, in our own days, we were tough and well-trained; we were dedicated and had the ability to withstand any odd.
Are these qualities lacking in today’s Army?

I would not say they are lacking. I think money now has a great role to play. Money is used to dampen soldiers’ professionalism. If soldiers know that money is now so much available, you can understand their current thinking. Moreover, those who fought well during the civil war were not compensated. Those that did not fight at all were the ones promoted. Those who ran away were promoted. I would not want to mention names.



I recall you once complained that you were never promoted to the position of a General?

I was not promoted, even to the position of a full Colonel. Maybe because I am a Yoruba man, I can say this boldly anywhere. Look at what happened to late Benjamin Adekunle, for example. Who fought the civil war more than Adekunle? But, he was neglected, Why? The exception was Akinrinade that managed to become the Chief of Army Staff. Ariyo was driven away, someone just placed a letter on his table that he was retired; he never saw the person. What offence did he commit? Just because he was Yoruba; so many Yorubas, like that, were neglected. Nothing was given to us. It is very terrible.

The force is dominated by the north and they want to continue to enjoy the largesse of the military. They claim that Yorubas have many engineers, lawyers, doctors and other professionals hence we should not wrest the military from the Northerners. We are still angry with how we were treated; we just bottled it up. And from the beginning till end of the war, people like me never left the war front. I was one of the five brigade commanders that ended the war.



You have bottled up your anger for so long, is it time for you to let out this anger as you now have a fellow soldier, also from the North, now elected as President?

No, Buhari is a nice man, he is a fellow military man. He is an amiable man, a very nice man, plain-hearted, a gentle man to the core. I know him.



You seem to know Buhari so well, can you tell us more about the Buhari that you know.

I worked with Buhari when we were together in Marine Commando. He was GOS next to the General Officer Commanding and I was Divisional Training Officer, I was training and teaching other ranks. That was where I met Buhari. He was very nice, amiable to people. He was also a wonderful Head of State and he is a disciplinarian. He does not condone nonsense and I love him.



You have claimed to love Buhari so much, however, Nigerians would only love him so well if he lives up to expectations. Do you think he can live up to the high expectations of Nigerians?

Why not? To become a Major, you are well-read, hence you can tackle any problem. Mobolaji Johnson was a Major when he was appointed Administrator of Lagos. To become a major, you would have passed through the Staff College, attended several trainings, taken exams, attended different courses, partook in seminars to brush you up and acquire intelligence. Military men also read personally. I have a personal library where I have good books. I read on military, politics, philosophy among other aspects of life. Winston Churchhill read up to Class 4 and became the Prime Minister of Britain and the whole Commonwealth. And he led the Commonwealth military to victory. Adolf Hitler read only up to Form 2 level and he wanted to conquer and rule the whole world. What audacity other than the fact that he read wide. It is not about having a PhD; what is PhD to us? We read wide.

Do you canvass for the inclusion of retired military men in the new government?

Yes. For example, if I become a minister in Buhari’s government, my ministry will shine. Consider Brigadier General Samuel Ogbemudia in Bendel, he developed Bendel. Which governor has developed Bendel, now Edo State, the way Ogbemudia did till date? None. He was a military man. Back then, money was not the issue, but we fought to win the war. It was about being a real man.

What about fears that the dictatorial tendencies of military men, if largely involved, will be laid bare in our democratic practice?

The world is civilised and there is no more dictatorship. Democracy is practised around the world now. There is no country that practices dictatorship that will progress. A civilian should come up with policies that are beneficial but where the civilians fail, there may be the need for. For example, there is no reason all roads in the country should not be tarred. We should have water, electricity. Why can’t we have adequate power supply in the country? We lack dynamic leaders. We have voted them in now. Rather than for some of them to better the country, they will be after enriching themselves. What for? It is out of lack of imagination. But, I have confidence that Buhari will deliver. I can shout on top of my voice about this.


http://tribuneonlineng.com/content/how-my-troops-stopped-biafran-soldiers-ore-%E2[truncated by WhatsApp]
http://tribuneonlineng.com/content/how-my-troops-stopped-biafran-soldiers-ore-%E2%80%94col-iluyomade-rtd
So just 129 soldiers held the Biafra bandits!!!!! Despite all the chest beating.

Can't stop laughing.


Now,up there is what I termed the authentic coward, and that's? Yeebooo

I knew this ridiculous trash will become pillow to dumbass Yoruba peeps. It is very shameful that so-called civil war veteran of Yoruba ethnicity did not even know when he joined Nigerian army. I guess goofy characters have made home in Yoruba land.

Ezemust:
In my opinion something urgent need to be done to the political conciousness of the Igbos as a whole.A drastic measure is needed to curb the unbecoming mindset of the Igbos concerning their political life. This past election was a strong wake up call for the Igbo.it had opened many blind eye to see the reality on ground.and now that the reality has hit us on the neck,i think we need to stand up and realise ourself.we need to make use of the daylight in search of the black goat before darkness befalls us all.we all need to make up our mind on our wants and in uniform agitates for it.in other word,let stop sitting on the fence and acting up the NEUTRAL. WHEN i went home from the North to my state Enugu for the presidential election did i realise the malady of a situation the igbos place themself in term of politics.the situation was so sordid to the extent i became a make-shift preacher.i have to shout out my voice and explain things out to this VAGUE people. I was mad.i was really mad at my people.why wont i be mad when this people develop a political mentality of I DONT CARE ATTITUED?WHY wont i be mad when men with pvc will rather choose to tape their palm win on election day instead of going out to vote?why wont i be mad when young ladies with pvc will rather stay at home and gossip instead of going out to vote?why wont i be mad..........why wont i be mad.........why wont i be mad?and do u know what was their excuse:?I HAVE NOT VOTED BEFORE,THE GOVERNMENT DONT FEED ME.MY GOD. Imagin this:-while going home i was worried knowing that my vote is lost due to change of enviroment.now after landing in my home of fourteen people,eight of them with pvc.on the day of election only my uncle went out to vote.the others dont even know were they kept their pvc.and this are people praying for gej to win.i was scared to the bone.wahala dey.what is this?how are you going to win when every hausa man with pvc is goner vote in this election?in Igbo rural areas i lent 60% did'nt vote. In my humble opinion i think drastic measures is paramount.there's a need for a strong wave of arwearness to hit the ground running in the East.i think wat is helping the North is the media.and we can copy from them.lets put more effort in using the the redio stations across the land to educat our people.whe we unite against this unbecoming issues we can all win together.

It is not by force or thorough silly coercion that people participate in election. If you have something grievously at stake during the election, you go and knock yourself out and leave others to their callings.

OBAFEMIawolowo:
I hear this every now and then, I don't seem to believe it. I heard ekiti has the highest number of professors but I found out that its not true.
Are yorubas truly the most educated? Or are the claiming to be the most educated?

Please we need to clear this now..

No tribal bashing please.

Yoruba are not more educated than anyone in Nigeria. It was just unfortunate that Yoruba in the 30s and 40s, mainly thorough shamelessness and act of loudmouth, claimed every returnee in Lagos, most of them Sierra Leoneans, as Yoruba.

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!!

You are correct especially when referring the wrestling match known as Kiriji in the light of war.

kaorama:
None of them is more important. It is a team work
That Babayaro should stop talking rubbish. His generation has gone and we want something better. He should shut his mouth.

Bros I cannot mark out the stupidity in most Nigerians. They never think about team work.

zendy:
Her real name is actually Stella Ojukwu but her family changed their name to Damasus during the Biafran war because it was dangerous to have that surname then. She is Delta Igbo

She is Igbo not the freaking Delta Igbo.

Radoillo:
He was a fluent Igbo speaker; he cut his teeth in the Igbo-language film genre (with movies like 'Taboo', 'Unforgiven Sin', the 'Osuofia' series, etc).

But he was actually Bini.

He was born in Enugu and raised in Enugu and Abakiliki. He fought Nigeria/Biafra war as a Biafran. After the war, he moved to Lagos and came back to Enugu. He knew Igbo land more then Edo.

Divineluv14:
I miss him too but was he an Ibo man?

If he was born, raised, fought the Nigeria/Biafra war as Biafran and buried in Igbo land, he was an Igbo man. May the soul of Sam Loco Efe rest in perfect peace.

NewNigeriaMind:
In as much as I don't support war,

Pls don't lie to make your points


Both sides use machineries

On the flip side, the most effective biafra soldier is banjo. He is above his peers so much so that ojukwu entrusted the capture of the most important state lagos to his command.

But note, Yoruba where never having war on the soil, hence they made sure against all odds that the biafra army didn't get pass ore.


Give honor to whom it's die, does guys are real spartans.

I wish for the west and east to unite someday, the hausa full no keeps winning.

Shut up your putrid mouth. Lt. Col. Victor Banjo was not even trained as combatant soldier while in Nigerian army. I am not surprised he failed woefully as the GOC of 101.

raumdeuter:
We salute the bravery of Benjamin Adekunle Black Scorpion ekun oko Igbo

Yet he was ignobly sacked as GOC 3MCDO after the Biafran "S" Division destroyed his lead Brigades in and around Owerri. Yoruba are known for loudmouth.

royalcatier:
You must be reading one hell of a history book cos even the ones written in 100% ibo lies have Yoruba as the Architect, Inspector and Appraiser of the war.

The Yoruba people that crushed you at Ore with no prior plan are not in history book?

Awolowo a Yoruba man who starved Biafra to surrender and later gave you 20 pounds each is not in history book?


Benjamin Adekunle a Yoruba man who shot at every moving thing in igboland, and you still hate him today for it, is not in history book?

Obasanjo a Yoruba man Biafra soldiers surrendered to is not in history book?




What then is in your history book?


Even one Banjo(Yorba) fought on Biafra side.

Lying just comes to you people naturally.

Another idiotic arrogation of fame and unfounded boastfulness commonly known among Yoruba people. The so-called Samuel Crowther was not even a Yoruba and never claimed anything of Igbo. Few elites knew how the word "Ajayi" ended up as his middle name, olodo.

ECOTERRORS:
go and read your history then we ll talk about it. Let's not debate here like kids, go and read your history books.

Do not waste your precious time on loudmouthed jackasses who tell tall stories after dust has settled.

superstar1:
Yorubas leave a conquered territory once they agree to be paying a stipulate amount as royalty and they also pledge allegiance to the political Headquarter in Oyo and Spiritual Temple in Ile-Ife and the Military Garrison of Ibadan. They will also agree to embrace yoruba culture, tradition and language. With those terms in place an adhered, that settlements can be rest assured of peace. If attacked by any outsider, it shall be seen as an attack on the whole yorubas. That was the NATO arrangement of then

Any act of disobedience or reneging on pledges, always lead to obliteration of such settlements and annihilation of its people. The baribas and nupes, some tribes in present day Benin Republic and Togo are classical examples.

Even the birds knew that Oyo Ile was situated 30 miles north of Ilroin, Kwara State. Yoruba people have always been on the run when it comes to matter of spiraling of arms. Yoruba suck!!!

SirShymexx:
Let's be honest: a war between Yorubas and Igbos would be so one-sided that the whole of Igboland might end getting destroyed the same way the Romans destroyed Carthage. But I noticed Yorubas, throughout history, don't go to the extreme after defeating an opponent in a war. They just defeat them - and leave them running for their lives.

Yorubas have fought so many wars. Unlike Igbos who throughout history only engaged in mgba akpukpa village wrestling in the village square, while wearing wrappers and wooly hat in the sun. Experience is the key here. Igbos are no match, regardless of the noise they pollute cyberspace with. They might win a shouting match with tears and ultimatums - but not a real war that requires experience and cerebral tactical approach.

The fact remains that Yoruba can never engage in a modern war unless it is a goofy wrestling match. However if the war mistakenly breaks out, Yoruba will do what they do best, just capitulate. I suggest you use the energy spent on daydreaming about Yoruba in war on something very tangible.

superstar1:
Point of correction again. Awo was never jailed for corrupt practices but for trumped up charges of treason which were the handiwork of Zik and Balewa. God saw ahead of time and kept him in prison to save him from the blood thirst demons of 1966. it was Zik that was hand twisted by the British based on his corruption charges to form govt with Balewa.

Get your fact right. Ilorin was never conquered. It was a town that already had a high population of yoruba Muslim converts, who connived with the Muslim fulanis in their midst to oust Afonja, because they saw him as an idol worshipper. Tell us the war that was fought over Ilorin by the fulanis. Just one. That is why the Emirship goes down well with all of them in Ilorin because they see as a religious throne and not political throne. Mind you, Islam was introduced into Ilorin by the great Shongai Empire that has its capital in Gao in the 16th century. That is why there are some Arabic words already entrenched in Yoruba language, before the arrivals of the fulanis.

The fight with fulanis was never about religion to us, was more of culture and states fighting against each other. If Ibadan warriors were hell bent on taking over Ilorin, they would have. They left Ilorin because the yorubas there have already embraces Islam as their way of life and they respected their wishes. As far flung as Jebba is, is there no Oba there. As far flung as Ajaokuta is, is there no Oba there. That shows we left Ilorin alone because of kiths and kindred that said they are OK with their new found faith.

There is something special about building mud houses that are still standing till today. It shows our forefathers did not wait for the British before developing a building technology, that is enduring. Say that of the Igbos and let me give you backhand.

It appears the so-called Oduduwa descendants have passion for rumors and innuendoes. Awo was jailed on treasonable felony including embezzlement of western regional funds and was adequately persecuted by Akintola, Rosiji and Fani-Kayode.

superstar1:
You are talking of Agbekoya war
See this one. Read up and know the true cause of the war and not your tales by moonlight story.

You made a mistake by attacking neutral regions, which clearly showed how low the strategy acumen of your 33year old bearded bandit leader was. If he was really keen on attacking only Marina, he could have gone through the sea.

Are your social orders still intact and above your shoulder or are they located somewhere below your waist? The loudmouthed Yoruba had informed in the interview that Nigeria troops from Lagos via midwestern region had already launched attack on the eastern region about July 1967 yet you are still wallowing on idiotic neutrality. Gowon sat comfortably in Lagos and organized babes in Ibadan for soldiers from northern region while the loudmouthed tugs such Ben Adekunle had Lagos garrison organization mainly of soldiers from Yoruba ethnicity attacking eastern region from Excravos, Midwestern region yet few goons are here mouthing off about neutrality. Nigeria is indeed a piece of ....

pazienza:
I think, it will be stupid to believe this Yoruba man's story.
Biafra match to Lagos was sabotaged by Banjo, the Yoruba man that led the mission, and not by some loud mouthed weak, and unknown quintessential Yoruba man named Oyinlide.

It is apparent idiocy to believe the loudmouthed coward who could not remember when he joined army yet tells tall story of his delusional heroics at Ore.

Shirley07:
You're a fo0l.
Your people were the first to plot a coup, killing leaders of other tribes (Akintola, Ahmadu Bello, Balewa e.t.c) and left yours. You people also had the stupid audacity to mock the grieving Hausa on their soil.
However, when the same fate was meted on your leaders, you cried foul and declared biafra. What a bunch of sadistic selfish fo0ls.
Infact, your biafra would have been given to you because as a matter of fact, SE contribute little to Nigeria resources but no, you have to mark Lagos, Delta, Akwa Ibom and others for your biafra. Thieves!
I'm not sorry that you lot died in millions, I'm only sad about the innocents among you.

You plentifully lacked human intellect and it is overtly advertised in the above post. To say you are unruly foolish is an understatement. I guess you and ilk compound the silly outlook of the jungle called Nigeria. I hate to be termed your compatriot, olodo.

Ilekeh:
Yet you'd believe anything from Ojucrook (according to barcanista).

I knew you woefully failed to perceive or grasp the lack of human intellect in that idiotic post. Anyway, I am not surprised since birds of the same feathers ......

CFCfan:
I'm with u on the inclusion of Igbinovia. She'll add guile and steel as a DM.
Edwin Okon could even deploy 5 in the midfield in the really tough games (against USA and in the knockout round) with Oshoala as the lone striker.
A midfield five of Nwabuoko, Igbinovia, Ayinde, Uchechi, and Okobi may do the trick. Whenever the Falcons have the ball, the trio of Uchechi, Okobi and Ayinde would support Oshoala, while the other 6 outfield players stay in our own half to be less susceptible to a counter attack.

Or when either full back overlaps, the other would stay put in defense to ensure that 5 players are in our half of the field.

Your narratives are what the coaches should readily emphasize before the players.

Aigbofa:
We read the interview and the most significant information from it is the fact that about 100 "cowardly" Yoruba soldiers took out a battalion of Biafrans.

Why would you not believe the crap from the goofy character since you believed Lt Col Francis Fajuiyi begged to die with Gen Ironsi. It was the same Osun propaganda Yoruba are capable of generating. It is funny that 8th Battalion under Major Ochefu had become 129 Nigerian army personals of shaky Yoruba natives.

Shirley07:
No, the west won't let the east dictate for them. You haven't answered why Ojukwu brought his demented war to yoruba land and killing innocent yoruba on the street.
Ojukwu is a coward and a badstard.

Yoruba land and its demented inhabitants took the war to eastern region in July 6, 1967 via midwestern region. There is no bigger coward in Nigeria than Yoruba. I urge you to reread the interview as to get whiff of the disdainful treatment handed to Yoruba by their masters from northern region of Nigeria.

shamecurls:
Just wanted to remind all, that war is not what we play on video games or with mere rants......Its entails and costs.

War is inevitable hence must be fought when absolutely necessary. There were cases of malnutrition during USA civil. Yet USA was not totally blockaded as was Biafra.

Aigbofa:
Nonsense. We don't deal with hypotheticals here. Yoruba could have, would have doesn't mean anything. What matters is that Yoruba soldiers sent Biafra on a permanent vacation.
Ojukwu knew the ethnic composition of Nigeria when he lied about having the largest army in Africa.

I knew goofiness is inherent but it should not be a matter of public display. Biafrans fought Nigerian armed forces not Yoruba. If the said fight was even between eastern and northern region, we would not be having this debate talk less of western region of Nigeria.

xenten:
May be your daddy has been feeding you fairy tales of how a ragtag ill trained biafrian army with homemade bombs went about killing the Nationalist army? Bros, wakeup, it was tale by moonlight.

One of the spotlights in the goofy interview was the Nigeria/Biafra war stated around May 1967 and ended around January 1970. What is the tale of moonlight about the war? There was no doubt that numerical strength and external military support found Nigeria but Biafra rocked solid with Igbo-made. I guess it sucks to be Yoruba.

xenten:
that notion that you re better than others is what was the achilles heels of your ambition to realise your dream of a free biafra. you guys are so proud and lack humility. that is why you will continue to play second fiddles in nigerian politics until you realise you are no different from any other tribe in Nigeria.

you guys are still bitter losing the war that is why you did not vote for Buhari.

Your myopic perceptiion of the war did not allow you to realise that the problem is with you Igbo/Ibo nation as individuals from homes and as communities. you lack morals, you love money more than you even love your brothers. see an example. the only opportunity given to igbo nations to be number 3 in nigeria dusing obasanjo dispensation was rotated among the the five senators from the same geopolitcal zone all because of greed and ambitions.
Leave Lagos go and develop your bush called villages and states.

There is nothing wrong feeling good about oneself. Biafra was a force to reckon. Entire Yoruba, Ijo, Edo, Eshan, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ibira, Hausa, Fulani, kanuri, Igala, Idoma, Tiv, Angas, Nupe, Ogoja etc including USSR, Britain, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Canada, Australia, Egypt and Arab league’s of nation had to sweat for more than two years to subdue tiny Biafra. Yoruba would have capitulated at the first sight of a drunken soldier from northern region of Nigeria. It is true that cowards die many times before their actual death.

Aigbofa:
Except that it took only 129 of them to bring down a biafran battalion. What will convince you of their bravery? The death of Biafra will remain a testament to their bravery.

The above junk is a crap only a Yoruba can manufacture. What a goon.

The match against USWNT shall be won or lost at the midfield. A player such Chiwendu Ihezuo who is a classic striker and has the size and stamina to handle duties at the midfield should be deployed. In addition, I liked the defensive midfield play of Oserenoma Igbinovia.
However I am disappointed that Nigeria's Falcon handlers are still inviting players to the camp while their opponents have already named their world cup teams. I am convinced that preparation or lack thereof is going to be another drawback for Nigeria.

T9ksy:
Colonel Oyinlade Iluyomade (rtd) is a civil war veteran, renowned for his role in curtailing the onslaught of the Biafran army at Ore, Ondo State.

Your role during the civil war, particularly how you curtailed the onslaught of the Biafran soldiers at Ore has been spoken about by fellow military men like General Alabi Isama, what exactly happened at the war front?

When the civil war commenced around June to July 1967, I was based in Ibadan where I commanded a small unit. [b]But I joined the military in 1952 with Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and Sani Abacha, [/b]who were my colleagues. I was sent to India for military training to be commissioned as Infantry, that is, to fight wars. The war started from the north, but it got to a point when the Biafran soldiers wanted to break through and conquer the West, they believed that if they conquered the West, it would be easy for them to manoeuvre their way through to the North. So, they wanted to break through Ore into the West, then straight to Lagos. But, at the beginning of August, I was despatched to Ore village to act as Security Officer, to ensure internal security and, to make the civilians aware of the presence of the federal troops. I was there with 33 soldiers. Later, Biafra captured Mid West, and arrived in Benin. This meant that their next target was the West. So I was told by then Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo, who was the Commander in Ibadan, to move to Ore border, which is about 19 miles to Ore village. Then, I moved there that night but I told Obasanjo that I was ill-equipped to curtail the Biafran attack. What can 33 soldiers do? So, he promised to reinforce and he did keep to his promise. Then, our total strength grew to 179 soldiers to defend the place.

I had premonition of danger and when I got to Ore, I deployed my troops towards the Western region. The bridge at Ofosu was the boundary, so I went ahead to survey the area to know the mountainous and forested areas. And I deployed my troops, so if there would be an attack on the West, they would have to cross the bridge. So I safeguarded the bridge and gave my troops instruction not to allow anybody cross over. By that time, there was an instruction that I shouldn’t allow anybody into the West.

After deployment of troops, I rose up from my trench at about 12 midnight, it started to rain heavily, but I told the troops not to leave their trenches. So, we dug in. Then, when I saw the skyline of the vehicles of the Biafran soldiers coming towards us, I shouted that no one should fire except me. And the battle started minutes past midnight. But the bridge was so heavy that they could not penetrate. If they had known that we had a small number, maybe they could have made the effort to penetrate. So we confused them, the place was well secured and we never lost any soldier.



One can deduce from your exploits then that you were proactive and strategic in battle, do you observe such qualities in today’s military operation?

I was the only officer, the others were other ranks so I commanded them. I don’t know how the current Army is deployed and how they work. But, the way I look at them now, I would not want to comment but they know how they operate. But, in our own days, we were tough and well-trained; we were dedicated and had the ability to withstand any odd.



Are these qualities lacking in today’s Army?

I would not say they are lacking. I think money now has a great role to play. Money is used to dampen soldiers’ professionalism. If soldiers know that money is now so much available, you can understand their current thinking. Moreover, those who fought well during the civil war were not compensated. Those that did not fight at all were the ones promoted. Those who ran away were promoted. I would not want to mention names.



I recall you once complained that you were never promoted to the position of a General?

I was not promoted, even to the position of a full Colonel. Maybe because I am a Yoruba man, I can say this boldly anywhere. Look at what happened to late Benjamin Adekunle, for example. Who fought the civil war more than Adekunle? But, he was neglected, Why? The exception was Akinrinade that managed to become the Chief of Army Staff. Ariyo was driven away, someone just placed a letter on his table that he was retired; he never saw the person. What offence did he commit? Just because he was Yoruba; so many Yorubas, like that, were neglected. Nothing was given to us. It is very terrible.

The force is dominated by the north and they want to continue to enjoy the largesse of the military. They claim that Yorubas have many engineers, lawyers, doctors and other professionals hence we should not wrest the military from the Northerners. We are still angry with how we were treated; we just bottled it up. And from the beginning till end of the war, people like me never left the war front. I was one of the five brigade commanders that ended the war.



You have bottled up your anger for so long, is it time for you to let out this anger as you now have a fellow soldier, also from the North, now elected as President?

No, Buhari is a nice man, he is a fellow military man. He is an amiable man, a very nice man, plain-hearted, a gentle man to the core. I know him.



You seem to know Buhari so well, can you tell us more about the Buhari that you know.

I worked with Buhari when we were together in Marine Commando. He was GOS next to the General Officer Commanding and I was Divisional Training Officer, I was training and teaching other ranks. That was where I met Buhari. He was very nice, amiable to people. He was also a wonderful Head of State and he is a disciplinarian. He does not condone nonsense and I love him.



You have claimed to love Buhari so much, however, Nigerians would only love him so well if he lives up to expectations. Do you think he can live up to the high expectations of Nigerians?

Why not? To become a Major, you are well-read, hence you can tackle any problem. Mobolaji Johnson was a Major when he was appointed Administrator of Lagos. To become a major, you would have passed through the Staff College, attended several trainings, taken exams, attended different courses, partook in seminars to brush you up and acquire intelligence. Military men also read personally. I have a personal library where I have good books. I read on military, politics, philosophy among other aspects of life. Winston Churchhill read up to Class 4 and became the Prime Minister of Britain and the whole Commonwealth. And he led the Commonwealth military to victory. Adolf Hitler read only up to Form 2 level and he wanted to conquer and rule the whole world. What audacity other than the fact that he read wide. It is not about having a PhD; what is PhD to us? We read wide.

Do you canvass for the inclusion of retired military men in the new government?

Yes. For example, if I become a minister in Buhari’s government, my ministry will shine. Consider Brigadier General Samuel Ogbemudia in Bendel, he developed Bendel. Which governor has developed Bendel, now Edo State, the way Ogbemudia did till date? None. He was a military man. Back then, money was not the issue, but we fought to win the war. It was about being a real man.

What about fears that the dictatorial tendencies of military men, if largely involved, will be laid bare in our democratic practice?

The world is civilised and there is no more dictatorship. Democracy is practised around the world now. There is no country that practices dictatorship that will progress. A civilian should come up with policies that are beneficial but where the civilians fail, there may be the need for. For example, there is no reason all roads in the country should not be tarred. We should have water, electricity. Why can’t we have adequate power supply in the country? We lack dynamic leaders. We have voted them in now. Rather than for some of them to better the country, they will be after enriching themselves. What for? It is out of lack of imagination. But, I have confidence that Buhari will deliver. I can shout on top of my voice about this.



http://tribuneonlineng.com/content/how-my-troops-stopped-biafran-soldiers-ore-%E2%80%94col-iluyomade-rtd



Ija ore- oleku...........The battle of Ore was fierce!!!

Sometimes it is appropriate to ignore the loudmouthed jackasses from the Yoruba land. However if these dullards are allowed to continuously dwell in their illogical conjectures over a period of time, such moronic endeavors could become de facto truth. It is very shameful that loudmouthed ninny who granted the above interview did not even know when he joined the army. He claimed to have joined Nigerian army with Ibrahim Babangida in 1952. But the fact remains that Babangida was only 11 years old in 1952. The bolded above is fallacy only a Yoruba can conjure.

He also claimed that Lt Col Ayo Ariyo was discharged from army. Nothing could be furtherer form the truth than crap said by this goofy character. Lt Col Ayo Ariyo resigned his commission from Nigerian army because he felt it was wrong to fight Biafrans whom he considered brothers and sisters. In addition, Ariyo was also pained by the manner in which the Fulani, Hausa and Kanuri soldiers were banging rarely seen good looking Yoruba girls in Lagos. It must be recall that Lt Col Ayo Ariyo was the second in command to GOC 3MCDO in Calabar.

There was no doubt that Yoruba peeps cowardly allowed the soldiers from northern region to take control of Nigerian army during the war as the joker indicated in the interview. I must confess that this jackass was not Major Ochefu who commanded the newly formed battle-tested 8th battalion of Nigerian army that harassed a battalion of Biafran soldiers in Ore. At least, this fake acknowledged that Yoruba had joined the war against eastern region before August 8, 1967. Few loudmouthed ingrates from Yoruba land had shamelessly announced the instances of neutrality in the conflict.