Thank you so much. You are now in the house of Dr. Sir Godwin Obidigbo. I am a knight of the Catholic Church, knight of St. Mulumba to be precise. I hail from Ogbunike, Amawa Ogbunike but what concerns the Biafran war, I didn’t fight in the war but I can discuss the war because I witnessed it. I was too small then but I remembered how we ran from my village Ogbunike to Nkwelle Ezunaka because during the war, people run to their relatives living in saver locations. We ran to my father’s sibling that is marrying at Nkwelle called Luis Ogugoo. He is still alive till today. He is the great grand son of Nwanyia, who was married in our place. We ran to his place.

“I don’t like remembering all this because the emotion is still there.”

On our way to Nkwelle from Ogbunike we stopped at Nkisi River, which is a stone throw to Nkwelle Ezunaka, after the river you will see Integrated Agricultural Center. It was established in those days by [the] Micheal Okpara government. It became Biafran settlement during the war, which provided support to the Biafrans because we stop at the river, as a child we were trilled. We ran into the river to take our bath and after which we were called upon to move. We move in convoy of trekkers. We trekked to Nwelle Ezunaka on foot, there was no vehicle. We trekked with our luggage and mat. I remembered too well that my tasked was to carry that mat. We often wait for our neighbors and other relatives that were travelling with us. As a child I ran out of patience and ask my father if we should move. My father and mother were with us, at that time they have not conscripted my family into the war but later on they conscripted some of them into the war someone like Alex Okafor, he was the grandson of Obidigbo. He later died in the war. The day we learnt that he died in the war, we were all mourning we also cried.

We all thought the war has ended but that was the beginning of the war. I thank God that we survived at last after all that. I don’t like remembering all this because the emotion is still there. I don’t like remembering most of these stories, but we finally landed at Nkwelle after stopping at the Agric, we moved to Uruebo that that was where we stayed before we moved to Ifite at Luwis Ogbogu’s house that by night. Movement in those days are by night when people will not suspect you are moving. We moved with  our belonging with me carrying our mart. I fell on the road but all the same we continued.

“Movement in those days are by night when people will not suspect you are moving.”

I thank the Nkwelle people for their protection; I ever remain grateful to Mr. Boniface and family. They are still alive and most of them are doing their best. While at Nkwelle we started farming those days. My mother was hard working just like my father who is a butcher known at Ogbunike and Nkwelle. The people there welcomed us well because during the war everyone becomes your friends, what different [sic] people is the issues of knowing where to run to, so we ran to Nkwelle and they welcomed us. We moved from uruebo to Ifite, Luis Ogbo house as I said. That is where we stayed till the war ended. We started farming in one of their forest called [Di-new-ubi.] The farm is very far so we moved into the farm settlement. The land was so fertile, the corn and the yam my mother produced there were used to feed us. My father from butcher to fisher man, he was now fishing, the proceeds from them joined together. Everyone had enough.

“I have to hold myself to do this interview, because I know that my family suffered a lot during the war and we lost some members of the family. We lost a lot of people during the war. Mostly through kwashiorkor because there was no food.”

The school, almost all of us stopped schooling because that time I have entered primary school. I was in primary one before the war and we relocated. The terms were not followed systematically again so we have to start afresh again, I can’t remember any  school I attended at Nkwelle because there is no time to go to school. The war is a bad experience. I hate to remember that because that will make me to feel so emotional. It was a bad experience. I don’t pray for it again, this time around. I have to hold myself to do this interview, because I know that my family suffered a lot during the war and we lost some members of the family. We lost a lot of people during the war. Mostly through kwashiorkor because there was no food. There was no food, the little you have, If you are not careful the robbers will take it away from you. Even the army, the army was not helping matters. Even though there was an army center at the Nkwelle Ezunaka, at the farm settlement. The army center, were not so fair in their distribution because when they got relief materials they still have to share it as they like.

“My mother was involved in the Afia attack…my mother lost about two or three children…”

The Afia attack, as usual. My mother was involved in the Afia attack. Those forces were what actually helped us during the war to make ends meet. In the end, when the war ended, we relocated back to Ogbunike. But, as I said, we lost some members of the family. I have to reiterate that my mother lost about two or three children and it wasn’t easy for her. My father nearly died during the war because the army came and conscripted him, but he seriously rejected. They forced him to take his car. He had two or three cars. They took the car and they wanted to kill him if not because one person intervene. Still they wanted to kill the man. One of the army officers intervened. One of the army officers from Ogbunike also helped us.

They should listen to the voice of reason because if they have obeyed the Aburi Accord, this thing cannot escalate. But because of the [Yakubu] Gowon administration who was the cause of the war because I still blame for the war. He had all the affidavits in his possession to stop the carnage but because he was a youth. Just like [Chukwuemeka] Ojukwu was a youth also. Two of them were clashing. It was a personal fight. The king Oduduwa of Benin was instrumental to the war because I learnt that he was the person that told Gowon to fight the Aburi Accord that Aburi Accord was given to favour Igbo man. So that was why, in spite of all the things we did to him, he said no that it was war.

“There is nothing like peaceful co-existence. They are calling for war again. Who are we to fight? I’m not ready.”

So I think the war of experience shouldn’t be remembered again and I have to pause a little bit because the emotions are there. And those things, the people should learn from that. There is nothing like peaceful co-existence. They are calling for war again. Who are we to fight? I’m not ready. I can’t be there. I can’t encourage people to go fight because most of us are planning to go out, even though the money is not there. But if you have the money, go out. Go out…

They are trying to sacrifice their place again. Peace is the best option. That is the best option. We ran to Nkwelle first stayed with Bonifeace Obuzoreme but his accommodation didn’t contain people. His house was just two room so we latter moved to Louis. My father had two wives even though the second wife didn’t agree to follow us but she later joined us by force as a result of hunger and she also lost two of her children during that period.  She joined us in Nwkelle. No matter whatever happens a man is always a man, even if its palm kernel you are eating, you eat it in good mind. She still couldn’t cope with our cousin who was our host. Everything back then was “Oriaku” who is our mother, most of our cousin was staying with us under my father Louis lived in my father’s house in Ogbunike. My father used to take care of them all like as if they where his children, just the way I am doing now. I know how many students that have graduated while living with me here. Thank God most of them still remembers me. One is called Emeka Obidigbo, but he is not Obidigbo but if you call him another name other than Obidigbo nobody knows him.

“I told you that the war didn’t get to Nkwelle because Iyioji  Nkwelle [the community deity] didn’t allow the community to experience war…”

Where we were is secure itself. Our host is a rich man to a certain extent. That is the Louis Ogbogu. He is very popular plus his house is inside. I told you that the war didn’t get to Nkwelle because Iyioji  Nkwelle [the community deity] didn’t allow the community to experience war but we had bunker. Bunker experience is not really a good thing because once we hear the sound of plane they ask you to run into the bunker. You know how it is been constructed. They dig the ground and cover it with sand. It’s often a one room in size. Everyone has their portion inside of it. We eat, drink and literally did everything in there. We spend long time inside the bunker.  Sometimes they say the planes are for our people. Caritas plane came to drop foods. So when they said it our plane, we would relax and not rush to take cover.

But life in the camp was another issue. When Otuocha became a camp, we ran to Otuocha because Otuocha later became an IDP camp. We moved to Otuocha that was where we stayed and started receiving support from the Caritas. That was the time I met Monsignor Otteh now Bishop Otteh. He was so instrumental to our safety during the war. Because he was in charge of Caritas then and most of the force came through him. So once he comes around he start looking for his people. That not to say he is bias, he wasn’t, but he looks for his people because people from Awkuzu and Ogbunike dominated in population there in the camp. So we thank him a lot and we are grateful to him and other things he did during the war.

“Kwashiorkor is what killed people; it is not just the war but kwashiorkor.”

The war, the Nigerian government should be blamed for the war and they are still causing the problem again because most of the problems that caused the war are still there. They have not solved it. They are escalating it they have not solved the problems.

The Caritas were instrumental to the survival of the Igboman because they provided garri gabon. Once they come it will be announced that they have arrived, so people will assemble and stand in line to eat from the IDP camp. It was a bad experience and I hate remembering that because a lot of things happened during that time. Kwashiorkor is what killed people; it is not just the war but kwashiorkor. You see people with swollen stomach and legs. It’s kwashiorkor, hunger and sickness.

“The church played a very big role that is why if I am in the church and they call for donation for Caritas, I use to help a lot as much as I can because I know what they did for us during the war; without Caritas I doubt if Igbo man would have survived the war…”

 The Catholic Church or Christian, Catholic Church played a very big role. They are the reason the war ended the way it did, because without Caritas, the Igbos would not have survived. The ones that survived would have died afterwards. The ones that survived were not much but Caritas really helped them to survive. It was a big problem. Caritas helped us alot. I remember how we struggle for food when they bring food to Otuocha, even as a small child. When they bring food we stand in line with our plate and they were rationing food as if it something else. It was a big problem. They mostly bring garri gabon and the soup of war has nothing inside and it’s watering but as a child we were hoping on the food. The church played a very big role that is why if I am in the church and they call for donation for Caritas, I use to help a lot as much as I can because I know what they did for us during the war; without Caritas I doubt if Igbo man would have survived the war because Nigeria was very bad. Awolowo said hunger is an instrument of war. Where is that done? Blocking land and sea. I thought if you are fighting with someone you allow the person fight freely. My father said fight is bone to bone but this one they were blocking everything…What do you expect?

Okoko Idem was a propagandist. That is his work. He was in charge of Radio Biafra. [Telling] people that Biafran is killing and dominating Nigeria army, but it go to some point he has nothing much to say….He was doing the propaganda work with Biafra. When you kill one, he says you kill hundred [and] that Biafra was occupying territory. He was still talking when the Nigeria army captured him.

Actually, we cherish the Abangana sector, because Biafra men tried a lot in Abangana. Abangana sector gave Igbo man a bragging right because of the fact that Achuzie, the army officers tried a lot apart from the saboteurs, that the Igbo men were involved but actually it is part of the war. There rumors that the Hausa did saboteur, too, but it is only the Igbos that we know, the one that concerns us after all the war was not fought in their land. The war only happened in Igboland. I don’t cherish remembering that war experience, what happen during and after the war. In my family, I know how many persons we lost and other thing that was also lost during the war.

I was too small during the war. My mother participated in Afia attack. They go in group and whenever  they come back we expect that she will bring something as a messiah. Afia attack is the reason we are feeding because when you come back you have the [ego bega] the Biafran currency to buy one or two things along the line. There are Biafra markets where you can shop things, where you can go buy thing but you have to be avoiding criminals, because there are criminals that time. The Igbo man suffered a lot and still suffering….

My uncle, that is my father’s brother had three sons that went to army. Only one came back, two didn’t. Alex didn’t come back and he was the bone of the family. He was the one my father invested in to take over from him. He was killed during the war so it was a painful experience. My father couldn’t bear it till now. Once he remembers it his mood changes because he know what he went through in training Alex…When the war ended people where jubilating and it was true but people didn’t believe. The way they killed Alex was that they said the war has ended and he believed but as he went out he was killed. My father almost died. It wasn’t easy since my father didn’t die that period. Hmmm. It wasn’t easy and the Alex was the hope of the family. They just killed him like that without him doing anything, just like that but we thank God. But the war hasn’t really ended, it is still on. Once in a while, Igbo are still been killed in the North without any offense. The hatred is too much the same hatred among the subjects that brought the war is still on.

It was so told that, during the war, one person was thinking about this issue of making protection charms for youths, whereas he is doing nothing. What he does is that he will collect their money and fake one or two things on you, and then the gullible man will take the charm. So the commander, one of the commanders during the war, a civilian commander, he told us that he was, he caught one of them that was faking those young boys like this and he told the man, since you are doing this thing, why not be in the frontline and the man pretended that he has a young wife, and the wife is still giving birth. So what is your problem? You are the one doing this for this people so we have it, and then lead us, so let us see what happens. The man started crying like a baby, that he will not do that, that the wife will not forgive him because he knows that what he is doing is fake. What he used to do is that, he will take this young boy that he is doing that, he is giving the medicine for gun or for protection, whereas he will go home and just start sleeping. When everything dies down, he will come out and collect his money and go away. So but this man caught him and told him that either you stop this your gimic or he shoot him. On the long run he was able to calm him down, because he didn’t do anything. So apart from the time before he died, that he deceived, the man was able to pin him down, and he confessed before he died, that he was not doing anything, and what he was doing was to fake, that he was doing it. So people should be careful about that, because I think that the only protection is in God. Talk to your God, Psalm 51. It says it, Psalm 91 says it also. Psalm 91 verse 11, if you go there you can see “a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right but it can’t reach you.” God is the one that protect He is not a human being. It is not this your charm or this things because I have seen a lot of people…. call themselves commanders they die of guns, they die. Think of the war, there are a lot of war veterans that claimed that they have charms, they were all finished before their time, they died before their time. So showing that this things doesn’t work. What works is Christ just embrace Christ and surrender to him finally he will give us whatever we want. So what I am saying in essence is that you boys should be careful about this things, all that glitters is not hold. It is not as they talk it will be. Most of them would say that they would do that. No!

My final thought on the war is that I am begging Nigerians to embrace each other we have fought the war even though the war was not meant for us. The Igbos fought the war that was not meant for us. We carried the cross. They should help and to do the three “R” they talked about after the war Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and eeeeh. The three Rs they know the 3R, let them do the much they can do now to make sure there is peace in Nigeria because there is no peace…

So, please let Nigeria live in peace, let them embrace each other and enjoy themselves with the little God has given us a lot of resources to enjoy but one or two persons want to collect it, but it is not possible let us co-habite and coexist, humbly and homely. That is my advice to everyone that we should embrace each other, embrace peace, embrace one Nigeria and if it is not possible for us, we may divide. Divide peacefully not by chaos. We have done the chaos one, we have not seen it, it didn’t work how many years after we are still experiencing the same situation. Why not try peace now? And see what peace can bring. Let embrace peace genuinely. Thank you so much.

This interview was conducted in Enugu, Enugu State by Chukwuebuka Okoye in September 2025 for Biafran War Memories, a program of ZIKORA Media & Arts African Cultural Heritage Organization.