A Child Soldier's Story: Thunder Road to a Biafran War Front | The Nigeria Civil War

I'm ‪@PhilipEmeagwaliDotCom‬. In July 1969 and at the banks of the River Niger at Ndoni, Biafra, I was conscripted at gun point and conscripted as a 14-year-old soldier into a war that was on par with the American Civil War or the Spanish Civil War. Without any formal training as a soldier, I was marched at gun point to the Biafran side of the Oguta War Front. At Oguta War Front, Biafran soldiers were living on less than one cigarette-sized cup of garri a day. Garri is pulverized, fried cassava root. Biafran soldiers added palm kernel nuts and water from the Oguta Lake to their garri. When I arrived at Oguta War Front, some Biafran soldiers had gone for days without food and they were threatening to leave their holes. After forty-eight [48] hours without food, I became woozy with hunger.
Because they was nothing to eat
at Oguta War Front,
I was immediately reassigned
to the Officer’s Mess (or kitchen)
of the Biafran Army at Ndoni.
Two months before my arrival
at the Oguta War Front (Biafra),
and in May 1969,
Murtala Muhammad,
who would later become
the president of Nigeria,
and Mohammed Shuwa
were given command of the Nigerian army at Oguta War Front.
In late May 1969,
and two months before I arrived
at Oguta War Front,
Mohammed Shuwa
had defeated the Biafran army
and captured downtown Oguta.
A few weeks later, downtown Oguta
was recaptured by the Biafran Army
but recaptured
after a loss of 500 soldiers.
I was conscripted into the Army
and conscripted at the market at Ndoni (Biafra).
I was conscripted
to replace one of the 500 Biafran soldiers
that died in the battle
to recapture downtown Oguta (Biafra).
The battle of Oguta War Front
was personally commanded
by Odumegwu Ojukwu,
the leader of Biafran nation.
When I arrived at Oguta War Front,
Joseph “Hannibal” Achuzie,
nicknamed “air-raid”
was commanding the Biafran soldiers.
I learned that Olusegun Obasanjo,
who would later become
the three-time president
of Nigeria,
was commanding the opposing
Nigerian Army
at the Oguta War Front.
Olusegun Obasanjo
arrived in Oguta War Front
in July 1969
and arrived at the same time
that I arrived in Oguta War Front.
In July 1969, I arrived at Oguta War Front
and arrived as an untrained soldier
and arrived at about the time
Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo
arrived with 30 tanks
and 10,000 trained soldiers.
Those Nigerian soldiers
killed or wounded 2,200 Igbo civilians.
In July 1969, Biafran soldiers
were trained at the war front.
Biafra soldiers were only trained
to aim-and-shoot-to-kill.
Three months after I arrived
at Oguta War Front,
Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo
recaptured the city of Oguta
and did so on October 9, 1969.
I was a Biafran child soldier
that was transferred from
the Oguta War Front
to serve as a cook
in the Officer’s Headquarters
at the bank of the River Niger,
at Ndoni, Biafra.
I served in the Biafran army
for the six months that preceded
the end of the Nigerian civil war
that ended
on the Fifteenth of January of 1970.
TOPICS
philip emeagwali and Biafra, Nigerian Biafra Civil War, Nigerian Civil War, refugee, child soldier, hometown, Onitsha, Oguta, Biafran soldiers, Nigeria, Africa,
For information about Philip Emeagwali,
emeagwali.com
/ emeagwali
/ emeagwali
/ philipemeagwali
flickr.com/phi...
/ emeagwali
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Philip Emeagwali 180125 2 2

[@MegaOdi777]

Philip Emeagwali is the Father of the Internet, a Biafran Soldier. God of Israel be praised!

[@goodevening9042]

I am proud proudly to be a biafran

[@dorisamaka3741]

Thanks so much

[@giftoliver6698]

Biafra is God project on earth

[@donkuzy7828]

No going back for Biafra restoration

[@samuelikonallaholokpo9063]

OGUTA WAR FRONT!

[@Drizzle.drizzle]

Dude said Oguta war front too many times

[@cheekwiz]

Digimarketspace first hand experience. His account

[@drvitamin7366]

He still has not learnt he is a BIAFRAN and has never used his brain power for a Biafra... Now Philip why don't YOU figh intelligently now as growN soldier.... Are you going to chicken out for the rest of your life. What legacy CAN BIAFRA GET AS YOUR MOTHER LAND... I WAS PROSCRIBED... I WAS TRANSFERRED.... I ARRIVED... OK AS MANY TIMES SAID...
NOW WHO YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU?
THAT JOB IS STILL WAITING FOR YOU...
HONESTLY ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY AND FREE NOW?
60 YEARS GONE BY.. THE CHILD SOLDIER IS TILL TO USE HIS COMPUTER BRAIN TO SERVE HIS FIRST JOB DESCRIPTION...
I HOPE THIS AROUSES AND FIRES YOUR MIND THAT YOUR FIRST JOB IS WAITING FOR YOU... IF I WERE YOU... I WILL ANSWER FOR IT AND MALE AN IMPACT NOW. HAVE A FABULOUS DAY

[@nzubechukwualex5316]

😓😓