The Nigerian Civil War and Biafra

Nigerian Civil War Leaders

• General Yakubu Gowon led the Nigerian Federal Government during the Nigerian Civil War.

Nationalist Aspirations of Biafra

• The Igbo people, represented by the Republic of Biafra, sought to secede from Nigeria and establish their own nation.

Immediate Causes of the War (1966)

• The assassination of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, a southern Igbo, by a group of northern officers on July 29, 1966, led to the immediate outbreak of the war.
• The subsequent massacre of thousands of Igbos in the northern region further escalated the conflict.

Strategic Role of the Niger Delta Region

• The Niger Delta region, which is situated in the southern part of Nigeria, played a vital strategic role due to its lucrative oil production.

Factors Leading to the Nigerian Civil War

• Ethnic and religious tensions between the Hausa-Fulani people of the north and the Igbo people of the southeast contributed to the war.
• Economic and political rivalries between the different regions, fueled by the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta, also played a significant role in leading to the conflict.