₦airaland Forum

asfrank:
Blame ojukwu, he knew what he was calling for when he announced the session of Biafra from Nigeria.
I don't know if they were expecting the Federal Government to bid them farewell. As it is with them, they blame everyone else but themselves. Self inflicted wounds

haha wait ooo. This issue is like marriage. A party said he wants a divorce and they went to court (aburi) , the court asked them to reconcile and one of the aggrieved party gave his/her condition to remain in the marriage in which the other party accepted at the court ooo only for them to get home then the other party changed all the agreement to his own favour. What will you do if you are the aggrieved person?

Let leave the past.nice one

tenpipsperday:
You have time to answer the motor park tout.



Ask him how Nigeria has faired since after the war.

that's why I just read comments on NL. You are right jare

Why will you go to war to force people who wants to leave to stay? You think that country can work?

RichBoy247:
The people that started it are still the ones screaming that everyone hates them.

If there are 6 persons that dont like one because of envy just as Joseph brothers envied him, its better for that person to leave. Igbos left Nigeria, why will Nigerians fight them for 3yrs to return?

Factcheck0001:
God bless u


If there are 6 people in a particular place and one person is saying everyone is bad, that one person should check himself

A TRUILY EVIL MAN.


ARE U NOT ASHAMED THAT U CAME TO THE WORLD AND AMONG TOP 10 MOST MURDEROUS TO HAVE EVER LIVED ON EARTH.


DID GOD CREATE NIGERIA OR SEND U TO COMMIT GENOCXIDE FOR LINES THE WHITE MAN DREW IN BERLIN?



THIS IS YOURHISTORY SUMMED UP.



HOW THE WORLD REMEMBERS U .


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2091670/Hitler-Stalin-The-murderous-regimes-world.html

Watianoengineer:
If not for Ojukwu that failed to honor the aburi accord there would not be a civil war. Gowon was ready for the implementation of the aburi accord and all of a sudden Ojukwu declared independence of Biafra which was treasonous. The rest they say is history

Modafvcker, how old are you?

Don’t speak about a subject you have no knowledge of.

Igbos are not regretting the war but encouraged by how they bounced back. God really prepared a table in the presence of our enemies

Amuluonyenaego:
They’re all full of regrets now.

Not true. Igbos were being k1lled during the 1966 pogroms were over 30 thousand were macacred in the North

Anguldi:
It was stubborn Ojukwu that lead his people to Abattoir 🤷

Abeg rest Grandpa.

Till date, we still know the most hated and marginalized region in this country

I blame the people putting microphone in front of these nanogenarians! When are they ever going to accept that enough is truly enough?

Watianoengineer:
If not for Ojukwu that failed to honor the aburi accord there would not be a civil war. Gowon was ready for the implementation of the aburi accord and all of a sudden Ojukwu declared independence of Biafra which was treasonous. The rest they say is history

Where is this one breathing from?... Is like you read upside down

Nigeria is a failed nation

You can't for people who wants to leave to stay

asfrank:
Blame ojukwu, he knew what he was calling for when he announced the session of Biafra from Nigeria.
I don't know if they were expecting the Federal Government to bid them farewell. As it is with them, they blame everyone else but themselves. Self inflicted wounds

This guy is still unrepentant.

Brendaniel:
What kind of love kills over 3 million of a people because you want to force them to stay with you?

When you hear any politician shouting that the unity of Nigeria is non negotiable, what about the love Nigeria, why don't they also shout that the love of Nigeria is also non negotiable?

That is because such politicians don't do anything out of the love for Nigeria, so to them the unity is more important than the love because of their greed, so they can kill just to keep the unity instead of showing love...

Have you ever heard Gowon say he fought the war because of love, no, he talks only about unity and unity without love is what? "chaos" That's the situation of Nigeria today

What was ojukwu looking at when he marched 3millions to the slaughter ground? If Ojukwu did not start what he couldn't finish, will Nigeria millitary come and kill 3 millions in their houses unprovoked? Don't blame Gowon, blame stubborn ojukwu for that

Till today Igbos determine Nigeria's outcomes and essence

fuckJones:
perfectly work

Emeskhalifa:
Abeg rest Grandpa.

Till date, we still know the most hated and marginalized region in this country

Nobody hates you, but ou hated yourselves. When you lead and paint everywhere with crime, faking product, illegal drugs and arrogance unrelenting worldwide, do you expect to be loved?

Psoul:
THE MEETING THAT STOLE A NATION:

HOW THE ABANDONED PROPERTY ACT WAS BORN,
By Khaleed Yazeedu

Port Harcourt, Late 1975.

The Nigerian Civil War had ended five years earlier. The guns were silent. The Biafran flag was lowered. But for the Igbo people, the battle was far from over. The new war was no longer fought on the blood-soaked fields of Enugu or Nsukka. It was a quiet war, fought in offices, courtrooms, and government houses.

In a nondescript room inside the Rivers State Government House, a secret meeting convened behind closed doors. The ceiling fan hummed relentlessly as a group of men gathered around a heavy wooden table strewn with maps, legal documents, and property claims. They were about to forge a legal instrument that would devastate the Igbo people for generations.

At the head of the table sat Navy Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff, then the young and ambitious Military Governor of Rivers State. With him were key figures who would shape one of Nigeria’s most painful post-war legacies:

Justice Ephraim Akpata, Chief Judge of Rivers State

Colonel Anthony Ukpo, liaison officer from the Supreme Military Council

Dr. Okoi Arikpo, federal advisor and Foreign Minister

A Yoruba constitutional lawyer from Lagos (name withheld for privacy) tasked with drafting the legal framework

Senior civil commissioners and property officials from Rivers and Cross River States

The Agenda That Shattered Lives

Their mission was clear but devastating:

1. Declare Igbo properties abandoned and seize them as state assets.

2. Create legal cover to prevent restitution claims.

3. Redistribute these properties to indigenous residents, military officers, and political cronies.

4. Avoid federal interference and silence Eastern political voices.

The Conversation Behind Closed Doors

In the low lit room, voices spoke with calculated certainty.

Diete-Spiff opened the discussion:
“The war may have ended, but we must protect our people from the return of those who fled. These properties are abandoned. The Easterners cannot simply come back and reclaim what is ours.”

Justice Akpata responded:
“Then we must codify what ‘abandoned’ means. If someone leaves during war and does not return within a specified time, the property legally belongs to the state.”

The Yoruba lawyer from Lagos added:
“This can be defended in court if issued as a military edict rather than through legislative processes. We establish a custodian board to manage and reallocate these properties.”

Colonel Ukpo raised a concern:
“What about the federal government? Will they accept this?”

Dr. Arikpo, calm and assured, replied:
“The North will not object. Lagos may have reservations, but as long as there is no Eastern uproar, it will be allowed to pass.”

Diete-Spiff concluded:
“Prepare the draft edict. No public announcements. Implementation only.”

Edict No. 5 of 1976: The Abandoned Property Act

Within weeks, the Edict was signed quietly in Port Harcourt. It created the Abandoned Property Custodian Board, authorized to seize and redistribute properties left behind by fleeing Igbos. The legal definition of abandoned was vague, allowing the board sweeping powers to declare properties vacant if unclaimed within an unspecified period.

In practice, this meant entire neighborhoods in Port Harcourt, from Diobu to D-Line, Oroworukwo to Old GRA, were reallocated to civil servants, military officers, and political favorites. Igbo families who survived the war returned home only to find their houses occupied or sealed off.

Federal Government’s Silent Consent

Though officially a state law, the federal government did not intervene. Why?

The federal Finance Ministry, influenced by Western Nigerian political interests, had already frozen Igbo bank accounts.

The Gowon administration preferred quiet reintegration over reopening war wounds through legal battles.

Yoruba elites, still recovering from political marginalization, tacitly supported policies that curtailed Igbo economic power.

Survivor Testimonies

Chief Nnamdi Okeke, a retired businessman from Port Harcourt, recalls:
"I returned after the war expecting to rebuild. Instead, my family’s three-story home was occupied by a civil servant. We were told the property was abandoned and given away. We fought for years in court but lost every time."

Mrs. Ifeoma Chukwu, a widow from Enugu, shares:
"My late husband’s shop in Balogun Market was reassigned while I was fleeing the war. I had no legal documents to prove ownership, they said I abandoned it. It was heartbreaking to see strangers in our place."

Mr. Emeka Nwosu, an Igbo civil servant, recounts:
"In Lagos, I was denied my housing allocation because my name was removed from lists. I was told the government had ‘reallocated’ the property for security reasons. We lived as second class citizens in our own country."

The Legacy of a Legal Coup

This was not merely a property dispute. It was economic marginalization inflicted through the law.

How does a people rebuild after losing everything, land, homes, businesses, dignity? The Abandoned Property Act systematically erased Igbo presence from key Nigerian cities and economic centers. It decimated an entire community’s wealth and laid the groundwork for ongoing marginalization.

The Cost of One Nigeria:

Post war slogans promised “No victor, no vanquished.” But this legal dispossession said otherwise. It demanded forgiveness without justice. It punished a people for seeking to survive.

Today, descendants of those dispossessed still struggle for compensation, recognition, and healing.

A Call for Truth and Justice

This article is a call for historical honesty, national dialogue, and reconciliation based on facts, not rhetoric. A true unity demands acknowledging past wrongs, restoring dignity, and offering reparations where possible.

"They took their homes and called it unity. But unity without justice is a lie.”

You can factscheck me through these References:

Nigerian Federal Government Gazette, Edict No. 5 of 1976

Achebe, Chinua. There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra (2012)

Coleman, James S. Nigeria: Background to Nationalism

Falola, Toyin and Genova, Ann. Historical Dictionary of Nigeria (2009)

Interviews and oral histories collected from survivors in Port Harcourt and Lagos (2018-2024)

Legal Disclaimer

This article aims to present historical facts and survivor testimonies based on verified sources to promote truth and reconciliation. It does not intend to defame individuals or groups. Readers are encouraged to approach this topic with an open mind and seek further scholarly sources for comprehensive understanding.

Khaleed Yazeedu
Student of History and Justice Advocate

Could you imagine the gang up,but today Igbos are doing well again.

asfrank:
Blame ojukwu, he knew what he was calling for when he announced the session of Biafra from Nigeria.
I don't know if they were expecting the Federal Government to bid them farewell. As it is with them, they blame everyone else but themselves. Self inflicted wounds

When the head of state failed in protecting every citizen, tens of thousands were murdered in the North and the Government that was supposed to protect them was helpless and you expect Ojukwu to be clapping for him?...It's quite disgusting that even at old age, Gowon doesn't want to admit and apologized he was used.

shortgun:
Here is what led to the Nigerian Civil War.
Gowon should take all the blame! If only he implemented the Aburi Conference agreement.
History should be returned to our schools!

After a military coup in January 1966 and a counter-coup in July 1966, Nigeria was deeply divided.
Ethnic and regional tensions rose sharply:
Thousands of Igbo people were massacred in Northern Nigeria.

Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, the military governor of the Eastern Region, demanded autonomy for the East to protect his people.

The federal government under General Yakubu Gowon sought to maintain national unity.

To avoid war, leaders agreed to meet in Aburi, Ghana.


🛑 The Aburi Conference (January 4–5, 1967)
Participants:
Nigerian federal delegates, led by General Yakubu Gowon

Eastern Region delegates, led by Lt. Colonel Ojukwu
Other regional military governors

Key outcomes:
Decentralization: Agreement that Nigeria would be governed more loosely as a confederation, with strong regional autonomy.

Consensus rule:
No major decisions would be taken by the federal government without agreement from all regions.

Military governors would have control over their own regions, including personnel matters.
Ojukwu believed this agreement gave the Eastern Region the autonomy it needed.


⚠️ Breakdown of Trust
When the Nigerian government returned from Aburi, it reneged on the full implementation of the agreement.

Gowon later promulgated Decree No. 8.
This breakdown of the Aburi Accord became a turning point. Ojukwu felt the East was betrayed.

💥 Consequence:
Declaration of Biafra and Civil War

On May 30, 1967, Ojukwu declared the independence of Biafra.
The Nigerian government responded militarily.
The Nigerian Civil War began on July 6, 1967.

The rest they say is history

The secession & declaration of war was unnecessary & preventable if the parties had applied diplomatic mains to solve the problems. Political inexperience was a major problem.
The solution to Nigerian's problems doesn't lie in a unitary system of government nor the parasitic fiscal federalism fostered on the citizens by the political class & elites.
The sectional interests can only be doused by a confederation or regional governments. Gowon should be bold to say the obvious rather than always trying to justify his mistakes.

ValarDoharis:
Till today Igbos determine Nigeria's outcomes and essence

determine what please? in what area do you think Nigeria need Igbo more than any other tribe?

Useless murderer

It was about love. That's Gowon murdered millions and starved many more millions to death. That's love.

chidexleo:
And the war was not against the opposition soldiers only, but againt innocent women and poor children . Killing more than 3 million souls for nothing.
Fighter jets goes ahead to bomb every living thing for unity.
How many of the biafra politician children were there during the war.?

It actually became a war to save the starving innocent people of Biafra. Men, women and children...

Factcheck0001:
God bless u


If there are 6 people in a particular place and one person is saying everyone is bad, that one person should check himself

and what if that person says he don't want to live together with you that you can take the country all for yourself, what will you do The fearful cowards don't want Igbos to go because they are afraid of Fulani overshadow them

Why is everyone of these people talking about this civil war at this point.
Is there something I didn't know

Fulanis herdmen killing your people is not hatred for anyone.

sreamsense:
What was ojukwu looking at when he marched 3millions to the slaughter ground? If Ojukwu did not start what he couldn't finish, will Nigeria millitary come and kill 3 millions in their houses unprovoked? Don't blame Gowon, blame stubborn ojukwu for that

Why do you people keep telling these dirty lies?

Produce the written words or audio of Ojukwu threatening and declaring war against Nigeria and I will produce that of Gowon threatening and declaring war against Biafra or you remain a liar...

What exactly do you people aim to achieve with all these lies ?

Here is the unity cowards fought for 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 a

Empredboy:
if the remaining 5 people feel that one person is bad why not remove him? After all he wants to leave. Why keeping him with his bad behavior?

Imagine 5 fighting to remain with one bad person.