DIMENSIONS OF FRATRICIDAL AND GENOCIDAL KILLINGS: REFLECTION ON THE NIGERIA-BIAFRA WAR, 1967-1970

Abstract

Many scholars have contributed extensively to the literature on the Nigeria-Biafra War. Most of the major arguments center on whether the Nigeria-Biafra War demonstrated generally acceptable ingredients and evidence to be considered as fratricide and genocide. Some scholars understand the War as complete fratricide and genocide, while others do not. This paper focuses on the dimensions of fratricidal and genocidal killing. This paper adopts secondary sources of data and it is presented with the historical method of analysis. The paper argues that convincing evidence of fratricide and genocide in Biafra abounds on the life pictures of millions of children, women and young people starved to death, the bombardment of market places, churches, schools, and hospitals with their attendant consequences. This paper finds that there is an outright lack of major powers’ acceptance of fratricide and genocide atrocities committed against innocent Biafra civilians by the Federal Government of Nigeria due to interests. The paper concludes that with different numbers of civilian death tolls recorded in the course of the war, the nature and manner the war was prosecuted indubitably signifies fratricidal and genocidal dimensions on Biafrans.