Of Narratives and Memories: The Nigeria-Biafra War in Mbano of Igboland, 1967-1970

Abstract

The violence that accompanied the Nigeria-Biafra War in the years 1967-1970 and the mindless annihilation of millions of Igbo lives remain traumatic. The Nigerian government claimed they set out to quell a rebellion which was perceived as a “conflict between brothers.†The situation appeared to be a war of large magnitude as it exhibited apropensity to exterminate the Igbo race. It was a ruthless and bloody war by the rest of Nigeria against Biafra and the Igbo in particular. The fierce nature of the attacks against a poorly equipped and ill-prepared Igbo by a well-armed Nigeria army with its international support reached Mbano. The people felt the heat of the war and many able-bodied young men participated in the war. Most of the men from Mbano communities who fought in the war never returned. Those who returned had very ugly experiences and are filled with bitterness. The narratives and memories of these war veterans have remained with them as they lived and others have died with their bitter experiences. Indeed, as time passes the experiences of many is been interred. Women lost their husbands, mothers lost their sons, many families lost their loved ones and these experiences deserve to be known and exposed and added to extant literature on the war. This exposé which adopts the orthodox historical narrative and analytical method examines how the war was fought in Mbano, the experiences as well as the impact of the war on the people. The paper posits that the brutality and highhandedness exhibited against the Igbo smacks of a calculated plan to exterminate the Igbo race perceived as obstacles to economic exploitation of the numerous natural resources domiciled in Igbo area -Biafra.The study adopts qualitative approach and the presentation is chronological.