During the Civil War, when the Ministry of Defence shared the same building with the External Affairs, Michael Ojukwu, an officer with External Affairs, had to show his service identification card before being allowed in. 
A military guard who first caught sight of his name hollered for the others to come and see his catch.
"You are Ojukwu?"
"Yes, I am."
"You're under arrest!"
"I am a foreign service officer."
"You are Ojukwu?"
"Yes, I am."
"You're under arrest!"
"I am a foreign service officer."
Before the poor man could complete the sentence, he was beaten so badly that he had to be hospitalised.
Some of his colleagues who tried to intervene told the soldiers that Michael was not a Biafran nor had any relation to the secessionist leader, Emeka Ojukwu (pictured)...
Some of his colleagues who tried to intervene told the soldiers that Michael was not a Biafran nor had any relation to the secessionist leader, Emeka Ojukwu (pictured)...
...that he was not even an Easterner, but a Mid-Westerner and, above all, a staunch federalist.
The soldiers replied:
"But why should he have let himself be called OJUKWU!?"
The man did not wait to get out of the hospital before changing his name to DAMASUS! #HistoryVille
The soldiers replied:
"But why should he have let himself be called OJUKWU!?"
The man did not wait to get out of the hospital before changing his name to DAMASUS! #HistoryVille
Credit: First Call: An Account of the Gowon Years by Ambassador Moses Ihonde.
Ihonde was the Chief Press Secretary to General Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria's Head of State.
Ihonde was the Chief Press Secretary to General Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria's Head of State.
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