Book Review – Biafra: Lest We Forget

Book Review – Biafra: Lest We Forget

BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET_ WE NEED PEACE IN NIGERIA!: JOY, OF A MOTHER!!!

BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET_ WE NEED PEACE IN NIGERIA!: JOY, OF A MOTHER!!!: "...Later in the afternoon that day, we arrived at Ogwumabiri, in Omoba at last! Before long, we arrived at our house, the one that belonged ..."

JOY, OF A MOTHER!!!

...Later in the afternoon that day, we arrived at Ogwumabiri, in Omoba at last!

Before long, we arrived at our house, the one that belonged to Nnanyi John Nkwerre.

My mother was apparently weeping before we arrived, but as someone exclaimed our names, she rushed out with others in the house with her following.

She held both of us together so tight, that I was hurting a bit.

She then started singing, praising God and dancing. It then became a free for all singing and dancing.

As we got into our sitting room, with everyone singing and dancing, almost as suddenly as she took up singing, she sank to the floor weeping uncontrollably.

Eventually, we got to know that with our arrival, it remained my sister Meg, for all of us to be complete. She was weeping believing that she must have been killed.

My mother, grandparents and other siblings had all returned to Omoba as well, after having to run away from the town to villages close to Mbawsi, as fighting got into the town, which was eventually captured by Federal troops.

Apart from my sister Meg, one of my uncle’s, Dede Young, Da Gold’s elder brother had also not returned. So she was weeping for the two of them.

By this time, someone had gone through the common fence at the back of the house, to tell my grandparents that we had returned.

My grandmother appeared dancing but shedding tears.

My grandfather soon appeared, and they started to console my mother, telling her that the same God that brought me and my brother Sunny back safely would also bring my sister Meg and my uncle back.

My grandfather then started to sing thanking God, he eventually prayed for us all.

All of us, Big Daddy, my brother Sunny, Bj’s Daddy, myself, Erinma’s Daddy, Ada’s Daddy, my uncle Chidi, my aunty Gloria and my grandparents were all present. We had survived that terrible war.

Some days later, we were all at home one evening, when my sister Meg also walked in...

----BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET!

BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET_ WE NEED PEACE IN NIGERIA!: HOUSEBOYS, NOT BY CHOICE!!!

BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET_ WE NEED PEACE IN NIGERIA!: HOUSEBOYS, NOT BY CHOICE!!!: "...My brother was sent to serve in the house of an officer; I again, had to go with him. As it turned out again, he was a Yoruba man, who ha..."

HOUSEBOYS, NOT BY CHOICE!!!

...My brother was sent to serve in the house of an officer; I again, had to go with him. As it turned out again, he was a Yoruba man, who had commandeered an Ibo lady that was living with him.

This base was in a town called Nsulu-Imo (Nsulu-On-Imo River), the river was Imo River.

Again, I cannot remember how long we spent in this military base.

I however, remember that our routine was the same every day.

My brother Sunny would be sent to the market, or to the river to wash clothes, and fetch water, while I would be the one to wash plates and sweep and generally clean up the house.

When he returned and is within the base, I was then allowed to go to the river and fetch more water and then, take my bathe there.

We were never allowed to go anywhere together.

The officer was quite kind. He gave us some clothes, and gave my brother a wristwatch, and they would seat together sometimes when he was around, discussing in Yoruba.

After a while, I heard my brother talking with the lady, and she said she had been instructed not to allow us to go anywhere together, so we do not run away!

It was not long after that, that one morning, my brother was sent to the market, while the officer was not around. He pleaded with the lady, to let me go fetch water, so I could have gone several times before he returned from the market.

I eventually went twice, as she permitted me, and as my brother Sunny washed clothes in the house, before he set off for the market.

Before going, he told me he would meet me by the river.

He did and we ran off, with him carrying the water I was supposed to have gone to fetch...

----BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET!

BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET_ WE NEED PEACE IN NIGERIA!: NOT FREE, YET!!!

BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET_ WE NEED PEACE IN NIGERIA!: NOT FREE, YET!!!: "...We continued to walk with them, till we came to a place where there were lots of palm wine trees. As we walked along the column of these ..."

NOT FREE, YET!!!

...We continued to walk with them, till we came to a place where there were lots of palm wine trees. As we walked along the column of these endless palm wine trees, there was a terrible smell all along.


Eventually, we turned off the road, and moved into the groove of palm wine trees, and then, I saw what the smell was all about.

As we walked on, I could see bodies of dead soldiers as far as I could see!

It soon appeared to me, that the place was close to a river. It was kind of swampy.

As we got closer to the water, there were more and more dead bodies. We actually had to walk over quite a lot, to keep going. Nobody was saying anything.

We eventually got to the bank of the river. A lot of people were there trying to cross the river.

I cannot remember exactly how long it took us to get there from Nkwerre. I only remember that we did not sleep anywhere, except where I had slept off. We just kept trekking.

My brother held me close as we waded through the river; a lot of other people were also crossing the river at this point. At a point, I could not feel anything under my feet!

He dragged me along till we got to the other bank of the river.

As we got across, there were federal soldiers on the bank, searching people.

When it got to our turn, after searching us, they detained my brother (I had to stay with him), with some other people, especially young women, with some elderly women wailing as the younger ones were taken away from them...

----BIAFRA:LEST WE FORGET!