Nigerian Civil War
- Period
- July 1967 – January 1970
- Sides
- Nigeria vs Biafra
- Battles
- 15
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria–Biafra War, or Biafra War, was an armed conflict fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state that had declared its independence from Nigeria in 1967. During the war years, General Yakubu Gowon served as the head of state of Nigeria, while Biafra was led by Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Odumegwu Ojukwu. The conflict emerged from political, ethnic, cultural, and religious tensions that preceded the United Kingdom's formal decolonisation of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963. Immediate causes of the war in 1966 included a military coup, a counter-coup, and anti-Igbo pogroms in the Northern Region. As a consequence of these pogroms, alongside the mass exodus of surviving Igbos from the Northern Region to the Igbo homelands in the Eastern Region, the leadership of the Eastern Region concluded that the Nigerian federal government was either unwilling or unable to guarantee them an adequate protection, therefore, the only remaining solution seemed to be to guarantee their compatriots' security by establishing a sovereign and independent country of Biafra.
Sources: Wikipedia — Nigerian Civil War · CC BY-SA 4.0
Battles 15
July 1967
Operation UNICORD
The Operation UNICORD was an offensive launched by the Nigerian Army at the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War. It involved the capture of 6 major Biafran towns near their northern border.
July 1967
Bonny Landing
The Bonny Landing was a Nigerian amphibious operation carried out on 25 July 1967 during the early stages of the Nigerian Civil War. The landings occurred on the Biafran-held Bonny Island and the adjacent Bonny River.
August 1967 – October 1967
Midwest Invasion of 1967
The Midwest Invasion of 1967 or Midwest Offensive, codenamed Operation Torch, was a military operation between Nigerian and Biafran military forces during the Nigerian Civil War. The invasion began on 9 August when 3,000 Biafran soldiers led by General Victor Banjo crossed the River Niger Bridge into Asaba. Upon reaching Agbor, the Biafrans split up. With the 12th Battalion moving west capturing Benin City and Ore, the 18th Battalion swung south, taking Warri, Sapele and Ughelli, while the 13th Battalion headed north for Auchi, Agenebode and Okene. Simultaneously, a plot to capture Mid-Western Governor David Ejoor at his home in Benin failed. Nevertheless, the Biafrans, meeting virtually no resistance, had seized the entire Mid-Western Region in less than 12 hours.
September 1967 – October 1967
Fall of Enugu
The fall of Enugu was a military conflict between Nigerian and Biafran forces in September and October 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War which centered around Enugu, the capital of the secessionist Republic of Biafra. Nigerian federal forces had made Enugu's capture a priority shortly after war broke out, but their advance stalled at Nsukka. Biafran president and leader Odumegwu Ojukwu, attempted to distract the Nigerian Army by initiating an invasion of Nigeria's Mid-Western Region in August, but the offensive was brought to a halt. Lieutenant Colonel Theophilus Danjuma took charge of the Nigerian forces at the Nsukka front and prepared to advance on Enugu with seven battalions of the 1st Division. Enugu was garrisoned by one brigade led by Colonel Alexander Madiebo and poorly armed civilians called into service. Danjuma decided to launch an offensive with his forces spread over a broad front to make it more difficult for the Biafrans to block them along major roads as had happened up to that point.
October 1967
First Invasion of Onitsha
The First Invasion of Onitsha was a battle and military offensive fought during the Nigerian Civil War between Biafran and Nigerian forces. The Nigerian Army's 2nd Division managed to seize control of Onitsha for less than a day before being pushed out and crushed by Biafran soldiers.
October 1967
Operation Tiger Claw
Operation Tiger Claw was a military operation and battle in the Nigerian Civil War, fought between Nigerian and Biafran military forces. The battle took place in the major port of Calabar. The Nigerian forces were led by Benjamin Adekunle, while the Biafrans were led by Maj. Ogbo Oji. The aftermath was a major loss to the Biafrans as it cost them the loss one of their largest ports and exacerbated the naval blockade imposed against them by Nigeria.
January 1968 – March 1968
Second Invasion of Onitsha
The Second Invasion of Onitsha was military conflict between Nigerian and Biafran military forces.
March 1968
Abagana ambush
The Abagana Ambush was an ambush during the Nigerian Civil War by Biafran troops led by Major Jonathan Uchendu that wiped out the Nigerian 2nd Division. Of the 6,000 Nigerian troops ambushed, only a very small number survived, including the 2nd Division's commander, General Murtala Muhammed.
March 1968 – May 1968
Invasion of Port Harcourt
The Invasion of Port Harcourt was a military conflict between Nigerian and Biafran military forces.
September 1968 – October 1968
Operation OAU
Operation OAU was a battle between Nigerian 3 Marine Commando Division (3MCDO) and Biafran 12 Division in modern day south-eastern Nigeria. Operation OAU was an intermittent battle that may have resulted in over 25,000 deaths on both sides. Although the Biafran soldiers were outnumbered, they were able to retain control of Umuahia and eventually recapture the cities of Owerri and Aba.
October 1968 – April 1969
Siege of Owerri
The siege of Owerri was a battle between Nigerian and Biafran forces in the Nigerian Civil War. The capture was a major victory for the Biafrans because the victory opened up telephone lines, enhanced road telecommunications, and showed that with stiff resistance, Biafra could defeat Nigerian forces.
November 1968
Operation Hiroshima
Operation Hiroshima was a military operation conducted during the Biafran War by the Biafran 4th Commando Brigade in an attempt to recapture Onitsha from the Nigerian 2nd Division. The operation ultimately resulted in failure and ended in the deaths of numerous local and foreign mercenaries and Biafran soldiers.
March 1969 – April 1969
Operation Leopard (1969)
Operation Leopard was a military operation conducted against Biafran troops defending Umuahia. No fighting took place inside Umuahia but the area surrounding it was heavily devastated by the Nigerian offensive. Umuahia was finally captured by Nigerian troops on April 22, 1969.
March 1969 – December 1969
Invasion of Umuahia
The Invasion of Umuahia was a military conflict during the Biafran War between Nigerian and Biafran soldiers. The Invasion of Umuahia occurred during the final stages of the Civil War and happened eight months prior to the Biafran surrender.
January 1970
Operation Tail-Wind
Operation Tail-Wind was the final military operation in the Nigeria-Biafra War. It took place in the towns of Owerri and Uli, which were captured from the Biafran Armed Forces by the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Biafra, General Odumegwu Ojukwu, fled to the Ivory Coast on 8 January, and his successor, Major General Philip Effiong, surrendered to Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo on 13 January.
Earlier and later events nearby
- 1881–1914Scramble for Africa
- 1885Creation of the Congo Free State
- 1960Year of Africa
- July 1967 – January 1970Nigerian Civil WarThis page
Who ruled this land
States that held this place in the historical borders data (Cliopatria). Years are approximate, as fine as the data's snapshots (every few years to a century). Tap to open the map for that year.
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