7th Oct. 1966 Time Magazine wrote:

"The massacre began at the airport near the Fifth Battalion’s home city of Kano. A Lagos-bound jet had just arrived from London, and as the Kano passengers were escorted into the customs shed a wild-eyed soldier stormed in,
brandishing a rifle and demanding ‘Ina Nyamiri?’ – the Hausa for ‘Where are the damned Ibos?’.

There were Ibos among the customs officers, and they dropped their chalk and fled, only to be shot down in the main terminal by other soldiers.
Screaming the blood curses of a Moslem Holy War, the Hausa troops turned the airport into a shambles, bayonetting Ibo workers in the bar, gunning them down in the corridors, and hauling Ibo passengers off the plane to be lined up and shot.
From the airport the troops fanned out through downtown Kano, hunting down Ibos in bars, hotels, and on the streets. One contingent drove their Landrovers to the railroad station where more than 100 Ibos were waiting for a train, and cut them down with automatic weapon fire.
The soldiers did not have to do all the killing. They were soon joined by thousands of Hausa civilians, who rampaged through the city armed with stones, cutlasses, matchets, and home-made weapons of metal and broken glass.
Crying ‘Heathen’ and ‘Allah’ the mobs and troops invaded the Sabon Gari (strangers’ quarter) ransacking, looting and burning Ibo homes and stores and murdering their owners.

All night long and into the morning the massacre went on.
Then, tired but fulfilled, the Hausas drifted back to their homes and barracks to get some breakfast and sleep. Municipal garbage trucks were sent out to collect the dead and dump them into mass graves outside the city.
The death toll will never be known, but it was at least thirty thousand.

Somehow several thousand Ibos survived the orgy, and all had the same thought: to get out of the North."

- Time Magazine London, 7 Oct. 1966.

Because of this, Biafra was declared. They still fought us!

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More from @maazi_ogbonnaya

3 Jun
ASABA MASSACRE

This happened between 5-7 October 1967. The main name of Asaba is Ahaba.

The Federal troops entered Asaba and claimed to be Biafran sympathisers. They were ransacking houses and killing civilians.

RT this thread for another historical reach
Several hundred were killed individually and in groups at various locations in the town. Community leaders summoned the people to assemble on the morning of 7th October 1967, hoping to end the violence through a show of support for "One Nigeria."
Hundreds of men, women, and children, many wearing the ceremonial akwa ọcha dress paraded along the main street, singing, dancing, and chanting "One Nigeria."
Read 8 tweets
1 Jun
This man is Okoko Ndem. The second most wanted person by Nigerian government after Ojukwu.

Who was Okoko Ndem?

Okoko Ndem was from Ikoneto in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State. He was in charge of media— Radio Biafra between 1967—1970.
The manner and how he reported cases got the federal troops and outsiders more confused. He was a strength to the Biafrans during the war. After speaking for length he would say: "onye ndị iro gbara gburugburu na-eche ndụ ya nche mgbe niile". He who is surrounded by his enemies
watch after his life all the time.

Nobody knew where he was broadcasting from. But the frequency of Radio Biafra was everywhere. Radio Biafra then was located at the Bunker, now called Ojukwu Bunker in Ụmụahịa. Okoko Ndem was a fluent Igbo speaker. He switched anytime too.
Read 8 tweets
1 Jun
Headtie or headgear in Igbo is called ịchafu, right?

Yes.

But do you know that ịchafu is okwumbite? It is a loan word or borrowed word from French language.

Let's look at the etymology of ịchafụ. It is derived from the French word "chiffon" or "couvre-chef"
which means headgear or scarf. The "couvre-chef" or "chiffon" from the French word gave our people the domestication of the word "ịchafu". To show more emphasis on this, some regard it as "ịchafu isi".

Do you know what our forebears called such? It is not gele.
Gele is a Yoruba word, not Igbo word. It is not ịchafu— a domestication from French.

Now the original and old names for it is:

Ụnarị

or

Ụnalị

or

Ụlarị

I am sure this might be the first time you are hearing this.
Read 6 tweets
1 Jun
Infinitive Verbs in Igbo Language: a Grammatical Perspective

In this article, we are going to discuss infinitive in Igbo language. What is infinitive?

Infinitive is the basic form of a verb, without an inflection binding it to a particular subject or tense.
In Igbo language, infinitive comes in form of prefix attached before a verb root. The letters used to represent infinitive in Igbo language are:

* i and

* ị
These two letters are attached as a prefix before a verb root (isingwaa) and vowel harmony known as ndakọrịta ụdaume must be observed. So, "i" or "ị" must follow vowel harmony thereby corresponding with the same class as any vowel making up the verb root. Example.
Read 10 tweets
31 May
"Do you want normal process or you want me to help you?"

The question roared into my ears this morning as I rushed into this office for some documentation.

I smiled when the man on a senator dress and yellow nose-mask hanging on his jaw asked me that.
I was stopped by the security guys who cornered me into the security room. They tried everything possible to extort money from me, I told them I wasn't in a hurry. I allowed them to give me all the information I needed unbeknownst to them.
Once I got it, I told them I hate cutting corners.

Now I was at the right office, the man who was paid to do the job also wanted me to pay bribe of 10k before he could submit my documents for signatory. Remember, I have done everything I was expected to do.
Read 7 tweets
30 May
MEE 30, 1967

Pịịịịịm Pịịịịịm
Gwodom gwodom
Krakrakra
Gbirim gbirim
Ụdaegbe na-ada
Anwụrụọkụ ana-akwụli elu
Anwụrụ bọmbụ

Mee 30, 1967
Mma abaghị ji
Ekwu esinwukwaghị ite
Ọchịchịrị gbara n'igwe
Chi ewere ehihie jie Image
Mee 30, 1967
Ara nne tara
Nne enweghị ara ọ na-enye nwa
Nwa enweghị ọnụ o ji aṅụ ara
Nna enweghị ahụ o ji arụ ọrụ

Mee 30, 1967
Mpịtị kwere
Opi nọ n'ọsọ
Nsụka nọ n'ọsọ
Ala Igbo niile nọ n'ọsọ
Mpịtị kwere
Ọsọ
Ọsọ ndụ
Ọsọ ndụ agwụ Ike
Ndị nọ Ọnịcha agbagawa Ụmụahịa
Ndị nọ Ụmụahịa agbagawa Ọnịcha
Onye nọrọ ebe ọ nọ,
Ebe ọ nọghị ana-agụ ya
Nzute ya abụrụ ọnwụ

Agụụ ajọka
Eburu ọnụ na-achụ aja,
Ọ na-ada ọnwụ ọnwụ;
Awolowo bụ ahịhịa
Read 8 tweets

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