Gowon: “Asaba Massacre Deadly Onslaught By Nigerian Army”, Says Murtala Mohammed Disobeyed Him

By Ayodele Oni

With families and relations in Asaba, Delta state, still counting their loses to the Nigeria civil war, former military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, rtd, has

revealed that the Asaba massacre was caused by Biafran soldiers, that blown off the Eastern part of Onitsha bridge.

Offering a fresh account about the Asaba massacre during the civil war, which occurred on October 5-7 1967 in Asaba, Gen Gowon stated that the Onitsha bridge was blown off to prevent the Nigerian Army from gaining entry to the East.

The fresh revelations, contained in Gowon’s autobiography, ‘My Life of Duty & Allegiance’, have offered rare personal insights into the rivalries, battlefield mistakes and political tensions that shaped the 1967–1970 civil war.

According to Gowon, “The massacre was a deadly onslaught perpetrated by the Nigerian Army, specifically the Second Infantry Division under the command of Murtala Muhammed targeted the people of Asaba, mostly Igbo people.

“In August 1967, three months into the Biafran War, Biafran troops invaded the Mid-Western Region, to the west of the River Niger.

“They spread west, taking Benin City and reaching as far as Ore, where they were pushed back by the Nigerian Second Division, under the command of Col. Murtala Muhammed.

“The Federal troops gained the upper hand, and forced the Biafrans back to the Niger, where they crossed the bridge back into the Biafran city of Onitsha, which lies directly across from Asaba.

“The Biafrans blew up the eastern spans of the Onitsha bridge, so that the Federal troops were unable to pursue them.

“Angry over the blow up of the Onitsha bridge by the Biafran soldiers, the Federal troops entered Asaba around October 5, and began ransacking houses and killing civilians, claiming they were Biafran sympathisers.

“Several hundred innocent males may have been killed individually and in groups at various locations in the town.

“At a point, leaders of the community summoned the townspeople to assemble on the morning of October 7, hoping to end the violence through a show of support for ‘One Nigeria.’

“Hundreds of men, women, and children, many wearing the ceremonial akwa ocha (white) attire paraded along the main street, singing, dancing, and chanting “One Nigeria.”

“At a junction, men and teenage boys were separated from women and young children, and gathered in an open square at Ogbe-Osowa village.

“At that point, federal troops were said to have brought out machine guns, and orders were given, reportedly by Second-in-Command, Major Ibrahim Taiwo, to open fire, killing many till 7 October.

“The bodies of some victims were retrieved by family members and buried at home. But most were buried in mass graves, without appropriate ceremony. Many extended families lost dozens of men and boys.

“Federal troops occupied Asaba for many months, during which time most of the town was destroyed, many women and girls were raped or forcibly ‘married,’ and large numbers of citizens fled, often not returning until the war ended in 1970.”