Although Shuwa's 1st Division successfully captured Okigwe and the Obiangwu airstrip the operation resulted in disaster for Adekunle's 3rd Marine Division in which it lost over 20,000 of its 35,000 soldiers, over 2/3 of the entire division and found itself in short supply of both men and food. While Yakubu Gowon was distracted by the anti-tax riots in western Nigeria the Biafran Brigadier Alexander Madiebo encircled Owerri, trapping the 3,000 man Nigerian 16th Division inside the city. For the next several months attacks were launched by Biafran soldiers on Nigerian defensive positions around the city which allowed them to inch closer to Owerri with every battle. On December 5 the Biafrans launched a two-day offensive on Owerri in which 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 300 mortars, 200 howitzer shells, and 20 anti-tank weapons were fired by the Biafrans but the Nigerian 16th Division under Col. Etuk managed to stay put in their original positions. On January 15, 1969, the Biafran 60th Brigade entered Owerri and forced the Nigerians within the city to retreat across the Otamini Bridge. Hungry and half-naked Biafran soldiers discovered the Nigerian's food and clothing supplies and decided to stay and have their fill while the Nigerians regrouped and launched a counter-attack, causing the Biafrans to retreat
By March 31, 1969, the Biafrans had control over 70% of Owerri while the remaining 300 Nigerian soldiers fled the city on April 25

kettykin:
The man that saw tommorrow

kettykin:
The man that saw tommorrow

Samusu:


Yes, by running to Abidjan when his people needed him the most

Samusu:


Yes, by running to Abidjan when his people needed him the most

T9ksy:
The man who saw tommorrow , my 2nd foot. Pity, he didn't "see tomorrow" in Feb '66 when his homeboy was the helm of our affairs but hell no!, ojukwu was a One Nigerianist then but the instance his ibo brother was removed from power, he suddenly " saw tomorrow".

Why didn't Ojukwu "saw tomorrow" and agitate for his Biafra nation after Ironsi had foisted himself on us through the back door? It would have saved a lot of valuable lives on both sides of the divide.

imhotep:

Those who refused to see tomorrow are now being sold for $210.00 in Libya.

imhotep:

Those who refused to see tomorrow are now being sold for $210.00 in Libya.

T9ksy:



Ojukwu saw nada rather what he perceived then was an opportunity to actualise his inordinate ambition whilst exploiting his own people's vunerability and emotional deficit to meet his objective.

He carried on fighting even when it was obvious that he hasn't got "a snowball chance in hell" of winning the war and his kith and kins were dropping dead from hunger .

imhotep:

This is why Lagos is no mans land today.

T9ksy:



Of course, according to your ilk however one fact remains sacrosant...............yorubas runs the show therein and there is Sweet F_u.c.k A_ll you all can do about it except wailing and ranting on social media.

imhotep:

Says the man who is owing his Igbo landlord in Lagos

malatachete:
Ojukwu playing table tennis at his residence in Enugu 1967.

oooduancalmdown:

You are not creative at all. How many yoruba people have you seen that are tenants to ibo? Instead it is the other way round.
Be creative

kettykin:
The man that saw tommorrow with little or no ammunition his ill equiped army wrecked so much havoc on the Nigerian military so much that Murtala Mohammed lost 95% of his entire division , first during his ill fated desire to cross the Niger river , secondlyy when a little known major Jonathan Uchendu used an improvised device (ogbunigwe) to dismantle and pulverise more than 98% of the 2 division at Abagana.

There is barely any Nigerian General that is not carrying or nursing wounds inflicted on them by the Biafran military.

With little or no weapon and barely any foreign support Ojukwu commanded an army that reduced the 3rd Marine Commando from its 35000 mand strength to bare 300 men .

The prowess of the Army commanded by Ojukwu was so much that Soviet Union that was backing the Nigerian Military became very embarrassed and disappointed with the outcome of the war, while Britain that could not save face backed Nigeria with enough ammunitions that woul destroy Nigerian 3 times

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_OAU

kettykin:
The man that saw tommorrow with little or no ammunition his ill equiped army wrecked so much havoc on the Nigerian military so much that Murtala Mohammed lost 95% of his entire division , first during his ill fated desire to cross the Niger river , secondlyy when a little known major Jonathan Uchendu used an improvised device (ogbunigwe) to dismantle and pulverise more than 98% of the 2 division at Abagana.

There is barely any Nigerian General that is not carrying or nursing wounds inflicted on them by the Biafran military.

With little or no weapon and barely any foreign support Ojukwu commanded an army that reduced the 3rd Marine Commando from its 35000 mand strength to bare 300 men .

The prowess of the Army commanded by Ojukwu was so much that Soviet Union that was backing the Nigerian Military became very embarrassed and disappointed with the outcome of the war, while Britain that could not save face backed Nigeria with enough ammunitions that woul destroy Nigerian 3 times

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_OAU

GoroTango:
But yet he lost the war and 3 million of his subjects. Its called 'work done equals negative, an exercises in futility'

oooduancalmdown:

And how many Nigerians have you lost from ignorance?
How many Nigerians have you lost from bad road, poor health care system, and poverty?

T9ksy:





He carried on fighting even when it was obvious that he hasn't got "a snowball chance in hell" of winning the war and his kith and kins were dropping dead from hunger .

gidgiddy:


Thats why Ojukwu is an Igbo man and not a Yoruba man. As the Igbo man he is, he is going to fight, no matter how superior the enemy is abd he did give a good account of himself for 3 years. It is better to fight and lose than to be a coward and give up without a fight because of the fear of losing.

chibuzorAbia:


Yes that's right when fighting personal challenges of life. Not as a leader of a country or a people. That is crass irresponsibility and grave stupidity.