₦airaland Forum

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE EFFECT OF THE CIVIL WAR IN ABONNEMA TOWN (NYEMONI),
RIVERS STATE AND HOW THE GO-TO-NIGER FESTIVAL CAME ABOUT.

By Elvis Sonny , Esq.

The term "Ga'a-Niger" was taken from the IBO dialect and "Ga'a" in Ibo means "GO-TO".
"Niger" was the short form of Royal Niger Company which later changed its name to United African Company (UAC). It was a British trading company that existed right from the colonial days situated by the shore of River Sombrero at Briggs compound in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area (Rivers state).

Ultimately, when the Biafran army held siege of Abonnema and the indigenes were to be evacuated to "AGADA" waterside, the evacuees were asked to Go-to-Niger, the point of evacuation. That was how Ga'a-Niger was coined.

The town of Abonnema was under siege and blockade for more than six months within which period the innocent citizens were dehumanized and appallingly executed on their own fatherland.

For the period of the outbreak of the civil war, because of the breathing political differences and enmity among the people of Abonnema as a result of the curtailed First Republic, the animosity in them was conveyed into the war.

Subsequently, when the Biafran army finally laid siege of Abonnema, individuals who were in the good book of the Biafran forces used the star-crossed and doomed opportunity to persecute those of them whom they supposed to be their political rivalries.

This disdainful and evil act led to killing of their own brothers and sisters. It was a horrible sight to watch our own people labelled saboteurs, flogged and stoned to death, and their properties destroyed.

People in the face of this tribulation were dehumanized with houses looted and razed down to ashes. The atmosphere was so apprehensive that brothers never stood to converse on the streets else you are labelled saboteurs.
These Biafrans had our children as whistleblowers who paraded the community to fish around for information on who comes in and goes out; and to with immediate alacrity report such people for arrest and onward execution in public.

An organized persecution was instituted to squeeze the life out of our people economically, and in addition curfew was imposed on the people. Abonnema was like the German concentration camp and anyone caught escaping was arraigned at the water front and shot dead.
It was a situation that cried to heaven for condemnation.

The whole episode of the event was like the day St. Paul wrote to Timothy: the day when men became lovers of self without affection, and hell was let loosed and men became covetous, taking pride in unleashing terror upon the people.
All that existed then was masochism, sadism and brutality. In fact it was genocide committed against the people of Nyemoni, and for those who had the temerity and impetus to speak against the wicked act and injustices meted against their people. They were stripped naked and tied to stay under the fierce heat of the sun till they dosed off or fainted.

There was weeping, red eye, mourning and gnashing of teeth virtually in every household in Abonnema that called for the emergence of a messiah that never came until the enemies had done their worst atrocities.

The atmosphere of reminiscence became that of homesickness, fraternal relationship became nauseating and sour. The unpleasant smell of blood and evil tarnished all over the place.

Men and women were beaten until they could feel no pain and their hearts struggling to pump blood; young men and boys were conscripted to carry arms for what they do not have idea of. Beautiful women forcefully taken by the Biafran soldiers. It was the ultimate price our people paid for a crime they did not commit to retain this land of liberty and love—Nyemoni (translated in English as “COVET YOUR OWN”).

The actions were nothing short of despicable abomination. The perpetrators were mostly of the IBO origin. The temples of the reasoning of our people were blown through the ceiling and our structures shattered.

People were found fighting hunger from death while young children were left and neglected by their parents without anyone to care for them until they slept off in the hands of death songs. At the height of this protracted evil experience which even Lucifer and his agents would want to lose sight of, people were still found looting properties. Honestly, our young girls were sexually ill-treated and desecrated.

War, I say is not a verbal communication for any rational being as nothing excellent can be derived from it knowing its associated affliction. Though, it is a fact that at times we make war that we may love in peace according to Machiavellian theory, yet it is a deviation of peace and growth.

As the attack continued in the city there was a dreadful air-raid at the market square that left behind scores of our people dead. Until date a monument is built in memory of these victims at the town square. The effect of this strike until date is registered on the concrete walls of St. Paul's Nyemoni Cathedral, Abonnema.

The pinnacle of these brutal mayhems eventually tranformed into evacuation of the indigenes from the point of Royal Niger Trading company premises through AGADA where the people were to continue another exodus to a land strange to them in Ibo land. That was how the word "Ga'a-Niger" emanated. IT WAS A POINT OF EVACUATION OF THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ABONNEMA TO THE IBO LAND TO SETTLE THERE.

The eyes that witnessed this horrible event of agony would never in history pardon the Biafran forces.

Men and women, children and their parents lamented copiously as they carried whatever they could lay hands on as they were forced out of their fatherland. It was at the summit of these unforgivable atrocities, when all hopes were lost that the God of force, delightfully intervened with divine hands.
Out of the blue, the Federal troop emerged via the swamp through the creek called "ALICE OKOLO" with superior and larger fire arms which kept the whole of Biafran troops in Abonnema in total fright and confusion.

It was exactly 12:00 noon in the beloved month of June 21, 1968 when the Federal troop liberated Abonnema from these insurgents who contrived the killing and sufferings of the people, and there was prolonged applause, ovation and shout of "ONE NIGERIA" everywhere and songs like:
"Ojukwu wanted to separate Nigeria, but Gowon said Nigeria must be one, we are fighting together with Gowon to make Nigeria One."

Thus, the yearly festival "GO-TO-NIGER" to commemorate the obnoxious event.
Every 21 June, all sons and daughters match out to celebrate the liberation of Abonnema.

The Biafran insurgents hearing the fire power knew that the fatal time had come and so they took to their heels into the creek not knowing how intertwined these creeks were. Unfortunately, as strangers who neither knew how to swim nor where to escape to their axis were surrounded by the Federal troops into whose hands they fell and were vengefully massacred and slaughtered. For few who escaped into the mangrove got drowned when the river over flowed its bank. And others after several days of starvation came out from their hiding places and submitted themselves for a commensurate punishment.

To tell the truth, when the Federal troop had entirely gained control of Abonnema, those of them who survived the Biafran onslaught decided to avenge for all the heartless treatment they suffered by going house to house to point out those saboteurs who contrived the dehumanization of the people. And they were all arraigned and publicly executed before the face of their people which served as a deterrent to other potential saboteurs.

This was a true incident of the civil crisis that bedeviled Abonnema which claimed millions of human lives in three years of arms hostility.
The stories from neighboring communities like BUGUMA, BAKANA were not pleasant for the ears too. The IKWERRE people also had a bitter taste of this pogrom.
Some other people may have a more frightening encounter but in earnest, I think no superior encounter could be experienced than what is here unambiguously handed down in this missive of importance.
Nobody wants to go through this experience again in this present beautiful time.
Coup, uprising, rebellion, insurgency and unwarranted agitations are no longer fashionable.

So my brothers and sisters, let us not do anything that could usher in another war, having circumspectly perused through this account of facts; for no cost will be too great to avoid this dreadful and unwarranted act of criminal agitation and rebellion.

(IN LOVING MEMORY OF ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO WENT THROUGH THIS ORDEAL)


By: ELVIS SONNY, ESQ.

08067985235

You should be grateful to the Biafrans soldiers who wanted to amacipate you from the evil of one Nigeria, after chanting one Nigeria what is the fate of the so called abonnema today compare to Abuja and Lagos, is a pity you haven't waken up from your slumber even at this 21 century..

Akwaudene87:
You should be grateful to the Biafrans soldiers who wanted to amacipate you from the evil of one Nigeria, after chanting one Nigeria what is the fate of the so called abonnema today compare to Abuja and Lagos, is a pity you haven't waken up from your slumber even at this 21 century..

You are just stupid and an idiot at the same time.
The fact that i am igbo like you does not mean i should surport you.

Somebody is telling you what his people went through in the hand of maily igbo soldiers during the war and the best thing you can tell him is that he should be gratefull.

Are you kidding me? Gratefull for what? that igbo troops tortured and killed their people in the combing expeditions during the war and you are talking nonsense.

You guys are just too emotional and blinded to this Biafran course that you dont care what others opinion is.

The same Biafran forces did to the minorities is what you are repeating here.

This is the same sad tale from other non igbo speaking regions of the defunt earstern region.

No wonder these guys will never want to hear about the useless Biafran agitations

munas:
You are just stupid and an idiot at the same time.
The fact that i am igbo like you does not mean i should surport you.

Somebody is telling you what his people went through in the hand of maily igbo soldiers during the war and the best thing you can tell him is that he should be gratefull.

Are you kidding me? Gratefull for what? that igbo troops tortured and killed their people in the combing expeditions during the war and you are talking nonsense.

You guys are just too emotional and blinded to this Biafran course that you dont care what others opinion is.

The same Biafran forces did to the minorities is what you are repeating here.

This is the same sad tale from other non igbo speaking regions of the defunt earstern region.

No wonder these guys will never want to hear about the useless Biafran agitations

you are useless and stupid Ewu,and who said your Igbo go ask your mum some questions mkpi

Akwaudene87:
you are useless and stupid Ewu,and who said your Igbo go ask your mum some questions mkpi

You are still a kid...

oh,my mom is from abonnema,my dad is a yoruba man from ogbomoso,oyo state,