Cries of Woe Over Biafra and Nigeria

In Cries of Woes over Biafra and Nigeria Professor Boniface Egboka draws a parallel of what is happening today in Nigeria, particularly in the northeast zone, to the horrifying and calamitous incidents of killings and arson which originated in parts of the defunct Western Region leading to the first military coup d'etat and the carnage of the counter-coup and, finally, resulting in the 30- month Nigeria-Biafra war. This war inflicted on the Igbo people untold hardships and marginalization which they are still suffering from till today. He calls on the leadership to listen critically to the painful voices of helpless Nigerians and act now to avoid a repeat of the sad history of our recent past. Biafra was a response to unbridled hatred, injustice and envy leading to the pogrom and planned annihilation of a race by the rest of the country, joined by countries who, although ideologically opposed but now united in their determination to crush the young country. Biafra resisted these joint forces for almost three years!

Boniface, joined by two of his siblings, actively fought on the frontline of this Biafra war of survival. Although his two brothers, Cletus and Felix Egboka, sadly never returned alive, young Boniface, undeterred, fought bravely in many sectors, and rose to the rank of a Captain and Combatant Brigade Major in the 55th Brigade, Ohafia before the collapse of Biafra.