Former military Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon has revealed in his newly launched autobiography that the 30-month Nigerian Civil War could have been averted if Eastern Region leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu had adhered to the 1967 Aburi agreements, claiming instead that Ojukwu used the peace talks to buy time for surreptitious arms smuggling.
Nigeria’s former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has revealed how arms and ammunition were allegedly smuggled from some foreign countries into the Eastern Region in preparation for the 30-month Nigerian Civil War. Gowon, who ruled the nation between 1966 and 1975, asserted that the devastating conflict, which resulted in the loss of millions of lives, could have been completely avoided if the then leader of the Eastern Region, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, had adhered to the historic agreements reached during their high-stakes meeting in Aburi, Ghana, on January 4 and 5, 1967. The elder statesman shared this detailed historical perspective in his autobiography, “My Life of Duty and Allegiance,” which was publicly presented at a high-profile event chaired by former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Tuesday, with Vice President Kashim Shettima representing President Bola Tinubu.
Reflecting on his extensive diplomatic efforts to preserve national unity and halt the slide into fractional violence, Gowon noted that he repeatedly sought direct dialogue with Ojukwu, who consistently declined due to persistent concerns over his physical safety outside the Eastern enclave. This administrative deadlock prompted Ghana’s then Head of State, Joseph Ankrah, to intervene and host a peace summit at Peduase Lodge in Aburi. While the multi-day engagement yielded a mutual understanding to reject aggression, the former Nigerian leader claimed that the secessionist command treated the diplomatic intermission as a tactical opening to expand their military readiness. Reflecting on the true intentions behind the peace talks, Gowon wrote: “Ojukwu’s motion that all parties renounced the use of force in the settlement of the brewing crisis certainly sat well with me and the rest of the SMC (Supreme Military Council) members. Indeed, it was the most pragmatic thing to do if we were to set on an honest path to peace.”
According to the newly published memoir, the federal government was already fully aware of clandestine logistics operations designed to significantly upgrade the Eastern Region’s military capabilities before hostilities formally commenced. Gowon alleged that the regional administration’s covert procurement network suffered a major operational setback in October 1966 when a cargo plane carrying illicit weaponry went down in neighboring territory. Detailing the intelligence available to the Supreme Military Council at the time, Gowon stated: “It did not matter that his plan was to buy some more time to enable him to stockpile arms and ammunition. We were also mindful that he had cleverly planned to apply the brakes on our ability to deploy the numerical advantage of the existing firepower of the Nigerian Army in the event of an immediate outbreak of hostilities. We knew he was compelled to buy time because his surreptitious arms build-up had suffered a serious setback in October 1966 with the crash in the hills of Northern Cameroons of the DC-4 aircraft with which he had hoped to smuggle in a cache of arms.”
The former Head of State added that Ojukwu eventually shed all diplomatic ambiguity regarding his military capabilities during a subsequent consultation with a high-level delegation from the National Conciliation Committee in Enugu. Gowon observed that the Eastern military governor proudly touted his expanded stockpile to the committee members—which included Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Prof. Samuel Aluko, Chief Jereton Marierie, and Chief J.I.C. Onyia—asserting that the region had attained an absolute balance of power. Documenting the exact rhetoric that marked the final breakdown of negotiations, Gowon noted: “Several months after the Aburi meeting, Ojukwu confirmed our belief that he had been biding his time to enable him to stock his armoury. In May 1967, at a meeting in Enugu with a delegation of the National Conciliation Committee that comprised Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Prof. Samuel Aluko, Chief Jereton Marierie, and Chief J.I.C. Onyia, who represented the West and Mid-West regions, respectively, Ojukwu confidently declared he had attained ‘equality of arms’ that would make possible for the East to discuss the future of Nigeria based on equality.” Gowon quoted Ojukwu as saying on that day: “Quietly I built up. If you do not know it, I am proud, and my officers are proud, that here in the East we possess the biggest army in Black Africa. I am no longer speaking as an underdog; I am speaking from a position of power.”
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