Biafran Heroes of Yoruba Extraction Not many of us remember the Yoruba soldiers who fought gallantly on the side of Biafra. This is a quick attempt to remember some of them now.

1.Lt Col Victor Banjo.
He was one of the first graduates to join the army alongside Ojukwu and others. The two were best of friends according to public records and individual accounts. When Ojukwu released the January 15 coup suspects in the Eastern region after the revenge coup ,Banjo stayed in the government house with him while the rest were accommodated elsewhere in Independent Layout, Enugu. Banjo led the 3,000 strong Biafran brigade known as the "Liberation Army of Nigeria" and also called the "Midwest Expeditionary Force" in the planned invasion of Lagos. His forces reached Benin within 12 hours on August 9,1967. By this time, Nigerian forces had captured Biafran towns of Obudu, Garkem,Ogoja, Nsukka heading to Enugu and Bonny, heading to Port Harcourt. Banjo's arguments with Ojukwu resulted in fatal tactical delays in Benin and Ore enroute Lagos for several days. He was recalled back to Enugu alongside his deputy and Quartermaster; Major Ifeajuna, court-martialed and executed with 3 others in September 1967. Lt Col Banjo was the highest ranking Yoruba in the Biafran army.

2.Major Wale Ademoyega
One of the five majors that toppled the government of Balewa on January 15,1966, he was released from Warri prison during the Midwest invasion in August 1967 by a battalion led by Major
Chukwuka; another of the five Jan 15 majors. He first commanded the Biafra newly reorganised 19th Battalion but replaced Ifeajuna as the "Liberation Army" Quartermaster General when he (Ifeajuna) was recalled back to Enugu with his commander; Col Banjo. Ademoyega wrote a book on the Jan 15 coup titled Why We Struck. He was arrested by federal soldiers after the war, faced the military commission and was detained until October 1974.

3.Capt Ganiyu Adeleke.
He was one of the Jan 15 officers released by Ojukwu. He cordinated the Biafra 18 Battalion at Onitsha as Infantry Company commander with Major Chukwuka in readiness for the Midwest invasion. He distinguished himself in the charge toward Ore and later become an instructor at the Biafra School of Infantry. When other Biafran soldiers who took part in the Midwest invasion were released from prison in 1974 after Gowon granted them pardon, Capt Adeleke, Lt Col Ochei and "Col Hannibal"Achuzia were exempted from pardon and remained imprisoned.

4.Lt Fola Oyewole
He also joined in setting up the Biafra 18th Battalion at Onitsha and commanded the D Company that liberated Ughelli, parts of Sapele and Warri during the Midwest expedition. Lt Oyewole is one of the first soldier to write a very instructive book on the civil war titled the Reluctant Rebel. It is a credible account of the civil war from the eyes of an active Biafran army commander who is not from the East. Oyewole is also one of the Biafran soldiers detained by the federal government after the war and released in 1974.

Note:
Other notable Yoruba who opposed the federal government on the Biafra war include but not limited to:
1.Wole Soyinka
2.Tai Solarin
3.Prof Hezekiah Oluwasanmi; former Vice Chancellor of OAU Ife (1966-1975)
The pictures below are arranged in line with the arrangement of the article with only Capt. Adeleke missing in the pictures.

They will still come and tell you that Yoruba are their problem.

Emmanuel Ifeajuna & Ayo Banjo were killed in the most controversial way ever. But they will never talk about it despite the fact Ojukwu later followed the wise advice of Ayo Banjo.

Today is Saturday
Lemme not talk

Moferere:
They will still come and tell you that Yoruba are their problem.

Emmanuel Ifeajuna & Ayo Banjo were killed in the most controversial way ever. But they will never talk about it.

Do you mind them?
Victor banjo fought gallantly for the biafra,he was betrayed by biafra Gov, he led the highest counter attacked so far recorded during the biafra war(battle of Ore), he was the main force, the commander of operation torch, after helping biafra captured the whole of the Midwest region that consist the south south today, he was framed up by biafra outlying to over throw ojukwu, transported to enugu and executed by the biafrans, on the 19 September 1967 few days after his arrest by the people he was fighting for, benin city was retaken by nigeria troops which saw ojukwu regrets his execution. But till today, they never acknowledge the sacrifices some Yoruba made for them during the war, instead, they see Yoruba as their worst enemy.

Note this pls
No Nigeria is worth dying for .....know this and know peace, nigerians Are among the most ungrateful humans on earth.

No mind our eastern neighbor wey no dey like study history. To them, everything is all about them. Them don full south state well well cos of how Biafra groups destroy east finish.... States wey we make peaceful by not even heaering the name, Biafra mentioned

The revolutionary stance of the late Major Adewale Ademoyega fascinates me a lot.Read his book "Why We Struck-The Story of the First Nigerian Military Coup and was like whao. I likened him to the late Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu.

Load of undiluted rubbish

None of these officers fought on the side of Biafra because they wanted to, so stop playing up some preposterous heroics when there was none. They all "fought" for Biafra for reasons that were simply circumstantial...happenstance as it's called.

Banjo was still in prison in Enugu serving jail time for an attempted political assassination of Ironsi, which of course failed (Wale Ademoyega acknowledged this fact in his book " Why we struck."), it was around the time the war broke out that Ojukwu released Victor Banjo who was also a friend of his from prison and later placed under his command the Biafran invasion of the Midwest and ultimately Lagos...a sheer act of military blunder and discretionary naivety on the part of Ojukwu...he failed to learn the golden unwritten rule that you can never trust a yoruba man, the same Victor Banjo whom he trusted enough to put a whole Brigade under his command later embarked on his own plans and started making plans to declare his own "Republic of Benin" and begin negotiations with Gowon after clearing the Midwest with little or no serious resistance from the Federal troops...this slimy clown had plans to create his own fancy republic and empire completely independent from his superior who trusted him with a simple task of clearing the Midwest and heading west towards Lagos and Ibadan...the idiot stalled his advance and lost all momentum...his troops became demoralized and began to retreat after the Federal troops under Muritala got enough time to reorganize and counterattack. Victor Banjo proved to be a traitor and coward and was rightfully executed along with his collaborators- Majors Ifeajuna and Sam Alale.

The other yoruba officers that fought on the side of Biafra just like Victor Banjo were also all serving prison time in the East for their roles in the January coup, and just like Banjo were all released from prison on the order of Ojukwu at the outbreak of the war, and they were all treated with the respect and dignity of officers and given the options of staying to fight on the side of Biafra or go back to Nigeria, they chose to fight with Biafra out of fear of facing persecution or even death at the hands of Nigerian soldiers who knew they participated in the January coup...

The only true friends of Igbos who fought with Biafra till the end were the Annangs, Ibibio's and Anioma from the Igbo speaking parts of present day Delta...many of the best Biafran officers came from the Anioma areas like Colonel Joe Achuzie, Nwawo,Nsudoh,Nwajei etc

Akanoaaa:


Do you mind them?
Victor banjo fought gallantly for the biafra,he was betrayed by biafra Gov, he led the highest counter attacked so far recorded during the biafra war(battle of Ore), he was the main force, the commander of operation torch, after helping biafra captured the whole of the Midwest region that consist the south south today, he was framed up by biafra outlying to over throw ojukwu, transported to enugu and executed by the biafrans, on the 19 September 1967 few days after his arrest by the people he was fighting for, benin city was retaken by nigeria troops which saw ojukwu regrets his execution. But till today, they never acknowledge the sacrifices some Yoruba made for them during the war, instead, they see Yoruba as their worst enemy.

I've already addressed this misleading and poignant ignorance in my rebuttal above you already.

And once again to cure your ignorance, the largest and most successful Biafran campaign in the war was the ABAGANA AMBUSH and not your fairytale nonsense about Banjo's heroics in the Midwest (cause the events that played out in the Midwest campaign proves your assertions to be pure bullsh!t)

Google the Abagana Ambush led by the one and only Colonel Joe Achuzie (Hannibal of Biafra), and cure your stupidity. That was the ambush that headlined almost all media outlets and correspondents of both the BBC and American newspapers/TV for its devastatingly remarkable outcome.

After Banjo was arrested, Ojukwu also ordered Ademoyegas arrest because he was very close to Banjo

Ademoyega was kept in Ntueke prisons for the remainder of the war

We want restructuring in Nigeria

AmehTsaev:
Load of undiluted rubbish

None of these officers fought on the side of Biafra because they wanted to, so stop playing up some preposterous heroics when there was none. They all "fought" for Biafra for reasons that were simply circumstantial...happenstance as it's called.

Banjo was still in prison in Enugu serving jail time for an attempted political assassination of Ironsi, which of course failed (Wale Ademoyega acknowledged this fact in his book " Why we struck.", it was around the time the war broke out that Ojukwu released Victor Banjo who was also a friend of his from prison and later placed under his command the Biafran invasion of the Midwest and ultimately Lagos...a sheer act of military blunder and discretionary naivety on the part of Ojukwu...he failed to learn the golden unwritten rule that you can never trust a yoruba man, the same Victor Banjo whom he trusted enough to put a whole Brigade under his command later embarked on his own plans and started making plans to declare his own "Republic of Benin" and begin negotiations with Gowon after clearing the Midwest with little or no serious resistance from the Federal troops...this slimy clown had plans to create his own fancy republic and empire completely independent from his superior who trusted him with a simple task of clearing the Midwest and heading west towards Lagos and Ibadan...the idiot stalled his advance and lost all momentum...his troops became demoralized and began to retreat after the Federal troops under Muritala got enough time to reorganize and counterattack. Victor Banjo proved to be a traitor and coward and was rightfully executed along with his collaborators- Majors Ifeajuna and Sam Alale.

The other yoruba officers that fought on the side of Biafra just like Victor Banjo were also all serving prison time in the East for their roles in the January coup, and just like Banjo were all released from prison on the order of Ojukwu at the outbreak of the war, and they were all treated with the respect and dignity of officers and given the options of staying to fight on the side of Biafra or go back to Nigeria, they chose to fight with Biafra out of fear of facing persecution or even death at the hands of Nigerian soldiers who knew they participated in the January coup...

The only true friends of Igbos who fought with Biafra till the end were the Annangs, Ibibio's and Anioma from the Igbo speaking parts of present day Delta...many of the best Biafran officers came from the Anioma areas like Colonel Joe Achuzie, Nwawo,Nsudoh,Nwajei etc

The Midwest invasion was Ojukwu's fault. Banjo and Ifeajuna took over the neutral region, but Ojukwu demanded an Igbo man rule it as a puppet state, the argument was prolonged on Ojukwu's insistence that an Igbo man ruled contrary to Banjo and Ifeajuna's idea that at least someone from the region should rule so to not appear hostile. An Igbo man Dr Albert Okonkwo eventually ruled the region.

The people there faced trouble from the Biafran army especially when they were forced to give out food to the Biafran troops. That lead to violent uprisings especially from the Ijaws and Urhobos who attacked a Biafran camp and killed 50 soldiers. The Biafran soldiers retailed which lead to more violence in the Midwest.

Akanoaaa:


they never acknowledge the sacrifices some Yoruba made for them during the war, instead, they see Yoruba as their worst enemy.

Only kids never understood why people got tired of the enterprise called Nigeria

AmehTsaev:

I've already addressed this misleading and poignant ignorance in my rebuttal above you already.

And once again to cure your ignorance, the largest and most successful Biafran campaign in the war was the ABAGANA AMBUSH and not your fairytale nonsense about Banjo's heroics in the Midwest (cause the events that played out in the Midwest campaign proves your assertions to be pure bullsh!t)

Google the Abagana Ambush led by the one and only Colonel Joe Achuzie (Hannibal of Biafra), and cure your stupidity. That was the ambush that headlined almost all media outlets and correspondents of both the BBC and American newspapers/TV for its devastatingly remarkable outcome.

Colonel Achuzie never led the Abagana ambush

drips8:


The Midwest invasion was Ojukwu's fault. Banjo and Ifeajuna took over the neutral region, but Ojukwu demanded an Igbo man rule it as a puppet state, the argument was prolonged on Ojukwu's insistence that an Igbo man ruled contrary to Banjo and Ifeajuna's idea that at least someone from the region should rule so to not appear hostile. An Igbo man Dr Albert Okonkwo eventually ruled the region.

The people there faced trouble from the Biafran army especially when they were forced to give out food to the Biafran troops. That lead to violent uprisings especially from the Ijaws and Urhobos who attacked a Biafran camp and killed 50 soldiers. The Biafran soldiers retailed which lead to more violence in the Midwest.

Upon his arrival in Benin City, Banjo reportedly made contacts with David Ejoor, a neutral military governor who had wanted his region out of the whole crisis. Orders were given for his head but somehow David Ejoor outsmarted them and escaped unhurt.

We can't really say what happened but Banjo's actions and inactions suggested he wasn't really in tune with Ojukwu's orders. The Midwest just got independence from the western regional government and a puppet from the East was a no no for the indigenous people who were mostly Edoids.

Moferere:
They will still come and tell you that Yoruba are their problem.

Emmanuel Ifeajuna & Ayo Banjo were killed in the most controversial way ever. But they will never talk about it despite the fact Ojukwu later followed the wise advice of Ayo Banjo.

But you said the coup was only orchestrated by the Igbos? But Maj. Ademoyega was one of the guys that lead squadrons of soldiers to do the shootings. But you guys have wickedly removed their names from history and only mention nzeogwu. Very typical.

AmehTsaev:
Load of undiluted rubbish

None of these officers fought on the side of Biafra because they wanted to, so stop playing up some preposterous heroics when there was none. They all "fought" for Biafra for reasons that were simply circumstantial...happenstance as it's called.

Banjo was still in prison in Enugu serving jail time for an attempted political assassination of Ironsi, which of course failed (Wale Ademoyega acknowledged this fact in his book " Why we struck.", it was around the time the war broke out that Ojukwu released Victor Banjo who was also a friend of his from prison and later placed under his command the Biafran invasion of the Midwest and ultimately Lagos...a sheer act of military blunder and discretionary naivety on the part of Ojukwu...he failed to learn the golden unwritten rule that you can never trust a yoruba man, the same Victor Banjo whom he trusted enough to put a whole Brigade under his command later embarked on his own plans and started making plans to declare his own "Republic of Benin" and begin negotiations with Gowon after clearing the Midwest with little or no serious resistance from the Federal troops...this slimy clown had plans to create his own fancy republic and empire completely independent from his superior who trusted him with a simple task of clearing the Midwest and heading west towards Lagos and Ibadan...the idiot stalled his advance and lost all momentum...his troops became demoralized and began to retreat after the Federal troops under Muritala got enough time to reorganize and counterattack. Victor Banjo proved to be a traitor and coward and was rightfully executed along with his collaborators- Majors Ifeajuna and Sam Alale.

The other yoruba officers that fought on the side of Biafra just like Victor Banjo were also all serving prison time in the East for their roles in the January coup, and just like Banjo were all released from prison on the order of Ojukwu at the outbreak of the war, and they were all treated with the respect and dignity of officers and given the options of staying to fight on the side of Biafra or go back to Nigeria, they chose to fight with Biafra out of fear of facing persecution or even death at the hands of Nigerian soldiers who knew they participated in the January coup...

The only true friends of Igbos who fought with Biafra till the end were the Annangs, Ibibio's and Anioma from the Igbo speaking parts of present day Delta...many of the best Biafran officers came from the Anioma areas like Colonel Joe Achuzie, Nwawo,Nsudoh,Nwajei etc

Banjo was still in prison in Enugu serving jail time for an attempted political assassination of Ironsi,

Sometimes you just have to shake your head when you read some of these rubbish. Who removed history from our curriculum in schools? Banjo attempted to assassinate Ironsi! What a load of nonsense.
By the way, I didn't bother to read the rest of your nonsense.

ElSudani:



Banjo was still in prison in Enugu serving jail time for an attempted political assassination of Ironsi,

Sometimes you just have to shake your head when you read some of these rubbish. Who removed history from our curriculum in schools? Banjo attempted to assassinate Ironsi! What a load of nonsense.
By the way, I didn't bother to read the rest of your nonsense.

Mo.ron unlike you, I actually READ (something a low IQ numpty like you can never relate to), my knowledge of the events about Nigerian politics right from the first republic isn't your mate, you will have to level up more to meet up.

So if you have any intelligent rebuttal to the facts I posited about Victor Banjo, why not present your facts instead of trying to over-compensate for your stupidity?

AmehTsaev:


Mo.ron unlike you, I actually READ (something a low IQ numpty like you can never relate to), my knowledge of the events about Nigerian politics right from the first republic isn't your mate, you will have to level up more to meet up.

So if you have any intelligent rebuttal to the facts I posited about Victor Banjo, why not present your facts instead of trying to over-compensate for your stupidity?

Numbskull, you read Victor Banjo wanted to assassinate Ironsi? If you can't show us where you read that or any other source corroborating this story then you are just a m,oron which I believe you are. Olodo rumor peddler.

Ojukwu killed Banjo that was one of the reason why bafra was a failure. He should have imprisoned him and others.

How are they Biafra war heroes? Banjo was cowardly murdered by Ojukwu for telling him the truth about the futility of the war. When Ademoyega refused to take over the command of Banjo’s liberation army, he was sent to prison till the end of the war by Ojukwu.

Adeleke and Oyewole were simply reluctant rebels who had no choice than to fight for Biafra based on circumstances. They never believed in Biafra nor supported the war. They simply fought for survival.

ElSudani:


Numbskull, you read Victor Banjo wanted to assassinate Ironsi? If you can't show us where you read that or any other source corroborating this story then you are just a m,oron which I believe you are. Olodo rumor peddler.

Pig, I hate to dance in the same circus with you, dunce, I have already referenced in my earlier post that Victor Banjo's assassination attempt on Ironsi was duly acknowledged in Wale Ademoyega's book "Why we struck", it was also referenced in Alexander Madiebo's book "The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran war". I'm tired of going back and forth with low IQ pigs, I need to engage humans going forward!

AmehTsaev:

Pig, I hate to dance in the same circus with you, dunce, I have already referenced in my earlier post that Victor Banjo's assassination attempt on Ironsi was duly acknowledged in Wale Ademoyega's book "Why we struck", it was also referenced in Alexander Madiebo's book "The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran war". I'm tired of going back and forth with low IQ pigs, I need to engage humans going forward!

M.oron, there's a difference between what is alleged and what what is proven to be true. The coup plotters of 1966 boldly said they did it and gave reasons. If Victor Banjo really wanted to kill Ironsi he wouldn't have denied it.
He was arrested in the first place and latter killed based on Biafran Paranoia. There was no evidence till today proving that he wanted to assassinate Ironsi.
This is how vacuous people like you distort history.

ElSudani:


M.oron, there's a difference between what is alleged and what what is proven to be true. The coup plotters of 1966 boldly said they did it and gave reasons. If Victor Banjo really wanted to kill Ironsi he wouldn't have denied it.
He was arrested in the first place and latter killed based on Biafran Paranoia. There was no evidence till today proving that he wanted to assassinate Ironsi.
This is how vacuous people like you distort history.

Pig, so why was Banjo arrested in the first place? has that thought ever crossed your mind? why not engage your tiny brain cells by at least finding out the reason why? You pig!

AmehTsaev:


Pig, so why was Banjo arrested in the first place? has that thought ever crossed your mind? why not engage your tiny brain cells by at least finding out the reason why? You pig!

He was believed to be part of the January 15, 1966 coup plotters, period. Can a single person take over a government without others being involved in the conspiracy?
If the answer is no, then who were Banjo's co-conspirators?
If the above scenario is not the case, then why would Banjo want to kill Ironsi? To inherit Ironsi's wife?

seunmsg:
How are they Biafra war heroes? Banjo was cowardly murdered by Ojukwu for telling him the truth about the futility of the war. When Ademoyega refused to take over the command of Banjo’s liberation army, he was sent to prison till the end of the war by Ojukwu.

Adeleke and Oyewole were simply reluctant rebels who had no choice than to fight for Biafra based on circumstances. They never believed in Biafra nor supported the war. They simply fought for survival.

You will just talk as if you were there with them or they told you something. Oniranu.

ElSudani:


He was believed to be part of the January 15, 1966 coup plotters, period. Can a single person take over a government without others being involved in the conspiracy?
If the answer is no, then who were Banjo's co-conspirators?
If the above scenario is not the case, then why would Banjo want to kill Ironsi? To inherit Ironsi's wife?

He wasn't just arrested because he was believed to have participated in the coup (which he actually didn't), the immediate cause of his arrest by Aguiyi Ironsi was based on the suspicion that Banjo plotted to assassinate him.

Mo.ron, there are various sources you can get on the internet from credible databases and read more about this fact (abi you no get data for your phone?), I'm done engaging you.

AmehTsaev:

He wasn't just arrested because he was believed to have participated in the coup (which he actually didn't), the immediate cause of his arrest by Aguiyi Ironsi was based on the suspicion that Banjo plotted to assassinate him.

Mo.ron, there are various sources you can get on the internet from credible databases and read more about, I'm done engaging you.

My friend, you didn't say on suspicion, or allegedly. You said categorically that he attempted to assassinate Ironsi, which is not true.

ElSudani:


My friend, you didn't say on suspicion, or allegedly. You said categorically that he attempted to assassinate Ironsi, which is not true.

So let me try indulge you one last time, let's pretend you're military Head of state, you get wind from a classified intel source that a certain officer is planning to assassinate you...then you summon that officer for questioning and he starts to act belligerently towards you...what would you do as a superior officer? just shake hands with the recalcitrant officer and tell him to go but behave himself next time? surely you can't be that stupid...majority of officers that were implicated in all the military coups in Nigeria either by suspicion or active participation got the same treatment (incarceration or death by firing squad.

AmehTsaev:

So let me try indulge you one last time, let's pretend you're military Head of state, you get wind from a classified intel source that a certain officer is planning to assassinate you...then you summon that officer for questioning and he starts to act belligerently towards you...what would you do as a superior officer? just shake hands with the recalcitrant officer and tell him to go but behave himself next time? surely you can't be that stupid...majority of officers that were implicated in all the military coups in Nigeria either by suspicion or active participation got the same treatment (incarceration or death by firing squad.

If that was the case, why not present the evidence against him at a court martial? He was simply locked away without a trial because they couldn't find any evidence to use against him.

Akanoaaa:


Do you mind them?
Victor banjo fought gallantly for the biafra,he was betrayed by biafra Gov, he led the highest counter attacked so far recorded during the biafra war(battle of Ore), he was the main force, the commander of operation torch, after helping biafra captured the whole of the Midwest region that consist the south south today, he was framed up by biafra outlying to over throw ojukwu, transported to enugu and executed by the biafrans, on the 19 September 1967 few days after his arrest by the people he was fighting for, benin city was retaken by nigeria troops which saw ojukwu regrets his execution. But till today, they never acknowledge the sacrifices some Yoruba made for them during the war, instead, they see Yoruba as their worst enemy.

Don't blame the Igbos. If there's anyone to blame, it's definitely the myopic and naive Yorubas always willing to go to any length for those who don't care about them, in the name of Southern brotherhood which is nothing but a ruse. It's the same thing happening yet again with some myopic and brainwashed Yoruba youths forming 'woke' on social media, castigating Tinubu with stellar records in public service in favour of a mediocre Obi with no standing legacy after 8years as governor of a relatively homogeneous state.
May every Yoruba working against the progress of Tinubu and the Yoruba nation end the way of Victor Banjo, maybe that will teach them that blood is actually thicker than water!!!