Ejike Obumneme Aghanya

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Colonel

Ejike Ebenezer Obumneme Aghanya
Chief of Staff, Biafran Organisation of Freedom Fighters (BOFF)
Battles/warsFirst Invasion of Onitsha
Siege of Owerri
Second Invasion of Onitsha
Fall of Enugu
Operation OAU
Operation Tail-Wind
Alma materRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Spouse(s)Comfort Ifeoma Aghanya
Other workFellow Nigerian Society of Engineers (F.N.S.E.)

Ejike Ebenezer Obumneme Aghanya

Brigade Commander of the 58th Brigade of 12th Infantry Division Biafran Army during the war.[6][7]

Education

Aghanya received his primary education at St Cyprian primary school

Nigerian Broadcasting Service where he became the president of the Nigerian Broadcasting Service Staff Union.[5]

Military career

In 1962 Aghanya was seconded to the Nigerian Army. He received basic infantry training in the

Arborfield Garrison, United Kingdom from 1962-1963. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army on 2 March 1963 with service number N/349 and the rank of captain. He served as Commanding Officer Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NAEME) Kaduna from 1963-1964. in 1964 he was promoted to Major and served as Commanding Officer Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NAEME) Army Headquarters Lagos becoming the first Nigerian to hold the command, taking over from the last British commanding officer Major Whittle.[8]

In the aftermath of the

Odumegwu Ojukwu, defying the orders of new head of state Colonel (later General) Yakubu Gowon.[13] In response Gowon announced the release of Aghanya and others after the fact.[14]

Research and Production (RAP)

At the outbreak of hostilities in July 1967 that marked the beginning of the Nigerian Biafran war, Aghanya was commissioned into the Biafran Army with the rank of Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the 44th Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Battalion Biafran Army by the then Chief of Staff Biafran Army, Brigadier Hillary Njoku. A few weeks into the conflict he was further appointed as head of the Biafran Agency for Research and Production (RAP) by General Ojukwu. In this position Aghanya was in charge of coordinating Biafran scientists, engineers and raw materials in a concerted effort at boosting the industrial production of war relevant materials for the Biafran government. Under his leadership, various scientific work groups were created to achieve specific goals. Priorities were weapons, ammunition and fuel. To this end he set up and supervised among others:

"The Anti-aircraft Rocket (Piom-Piom) Group headed by Engineer Seth Nwanagu; the Fuel or Petroleum Groups headed by Dr. Ogbuehi, Engineer Onyenso and Engineer Iteke; ‘Ogbunigwe’ Groups headed by Engineer Willy Achukwu, Engineer Austin Odiwe, Engineer Roy Umenyi, Engineer E. Kaine, Dr. Felix Oragwu; the Biological Groups headed by Prof. Njoku-Obi and Dr. Okafor; the Armoured Vehicle Groups headed by Engr. Iwobi and Engineer Dike; the Anti-tank war-head and Rocket Groups headed by Prof. Ezilo, Prof. Ezekwe, Dr. Felix Oragwu, Engineer Kaine, Capt. Ohaya etc; the food Preservation Groups headed by Prof. Njoku-Obi, Dr. Ene, etc; the Rocket-fuel Group headed by Dr. Akalonu (from America); the Hand-grenade Groups headed by Mr. B. Nwogbo and Engineer Okafor of Dockyard, Port Harcourt; the Salt Groups headed by Prof. Agu Ogan, Dr. Obasi and Mr. Ekechukwu; the Matches and Candle Groups headed by Dr. Osisiogu, Dr. Caleb Wakama; the Vehicles Repair, Modification and Renovation Group headed by Engineer Roy Umenyi, Engineer Onwubualili, Engineer Capt. Ohaya. The Telecommunication Equipment Modification Group, was headed by Prof. Chijioke. The Battery Reconditioning and Reproduction Group was headed by Dr. Mike Nwachukwu. The Finance and General Administration Group was headed by Dr. B.C. Nwosu."[15]

Under his command of RAP, the infamous Biafran

surface to air missile (Piom-Piom) was the first rocket to be wholly designed, developed, mass-produced and launched in Africa.[citation needed
]

Aghanya was in charge of supervising the various scientific groups he set up, sourcing and supply of raw materials needed for production as well as distribution of finished products to the troops. He was further in charge of testing prototypes, as well as training the troops in the use of the various home made weapons, bombs, grenades and missiles. To this end he created various Ogbunigwe squads which were distributed in fire brigade style to the various war fronts as the need arose. Initially posted to

Aba, Ikot Ekpene, Umuahia and Owerri.[18]

Biafran Organisation of Freedom Fighters (BOFF)

After the fall of some major Biafran enclaves such as Enugu, Abakaliki, Calabar, Ikot-Ekpene and Port Harcourt, it became increasingly obvious that Biafra could not adequately defend herself using only conventional troops. Aghanya therefore approached General Ojukwu and the new Biafran Army Chief of Staff, Major General Madiebo, with the proposal of setting up a guerrilla force in divisional strength, which was to operate behind enemy lines especially in the areas of Biafra occupied by Nigerian troops. The force was to be made up of civilians, including women, who after having been trained in sabotage and the use of RAP made explosive gadgets would infiltrate behind enemy lines. Aghanya was given the assignment of setting up, equipping and training the guerrilla force which was named Biafran Organisation of Freedom Fighters (BOFF). Also called "Rangers", the idea behind this division was partly inspired and loosely based on the Viet Cong role model.[19] He got a team of South African instructors under Colonel Jan Breytenbach to train the BOFF troops in sabotage and counterinsurgency.[5][20][21] Aghanya was made the commanding officer of this new branch of the armed forces with title of Chief of Staff.[22][23] Members of his staff included Chinua Achebe, Ukwu I. Ukwu and Okonjo (father to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) [4] The headquarters of the BOFF Division was located at Umuahia.[24]

Regarding aims, objectives and modus operandi of BOFF, Ezenwa-Ohaeto quotes Aghanya as follows:

"The Biafrans did not have the fire power that could match the fire power of the other side, so it became necessary for us to plan and formulate our battles in terms of defence warfare. All the people who were thinking alike wanted to form an organisation that would achieve these aims. The primary aim was to drive the enemy out of the land of Biafra and not to capture strange lands. The organisation was to involve fellow Biafrans in captured areas to help in driving the enemy out. Since the regular army was there, there was the need to demarcate areas of operation. The regular army operated in front while the BOFF operated behind enemy lines. The aim was that as the regular army became weaker then the Freedom Fighters would become stronger."[25]

BOFF was the most important fighting force in Biafra aside from the regular army.

Asaba from the Nigerian Army Second Division, blocking off direct supply across the Niger River. They also prevented the Nigerian Army Second Division from linking up with the First Division Headquartered at Enugu by effectively blocking the Onitsha-Enugu road until the end of the war. By September 1968 they were operating extensively behind enemy lines, in the Mid-Western region and other areas of occupied Biafra.[27] By June 1969, Biafran guerrilla operations were so extensive in the Mid West that six Nigerian Army Battalions had to be deployed to the area in an attempt to check the menace.[28] The BOFF under Aghanya also played a major role in the recapture of Owerri in 1969.[29]

Private life

Aghanya was married to Comfort Ifeoma Modebelu on 19 May 1962 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He was a fellow, and founding member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria, and the British Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers.[30] After the war, Aghanya established his private engineering company called NICON Engineering Company and was the first to have indigenously designed, patented and produced traffic lights in Nigeria.[31][32] He was a member of the Igbo Traditional Chieftaincy Title Holders Association

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).[33]

Notes

  1. ^ "Headquarters Royal Nigerian Army Commissions" (PDF). Federation of Nigeria Official Gazette. 50 (28): 613. 25 April 1963. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  2. ^ Nigeria. Nigerian Army Chief Education Officer (1994). Nigerian Army Magazine, Band 2. Nigerian National Press. p. 77.
  3. ^ "Anambra State Government - Light Of The Nation". www.anambrastate.gov.ng. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-1101595985
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1909982369
    .
  6. ^ "NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR:DIVISIONAL AND BRIGADE COMMANDERS OF THE "BIAFRAN" ARMY". Beegeagle's Blog. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  7. ISBN 9781562382
    .
  8. ^ Aghanya E.O. 2006, p.1.
  9. ^ Gbulie (1981) p.144
  10. ISBN 978-0875867106
    .
  11. ^ Gbulie, Ben (1981). Nigeria's Five Majors: Coup D'état of 15th January 1966, First Inside Account. Africana Educational Publishers (Nig). p. 151.
  12. ISBN 978167167X
    .
  13. ^ Aghanya E.O. 2006, p.58.
  14. ^ Federal Nigeria. 6–11. Consulate General of Nigeria: 21. 1967 https://books.google.com/books?id=jKASAAAAIAAJ. Retrieved 11 July 2020. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ISBN 9788084621
    .
  16. ^ Aghanya E.O. (2006) pp.111-125
  17. ISBN 9781562560
    .
  18. ISBN 9781561173
    .
  19. ^ Jowett P.S. (2016) p.15
  20. ^ "Tape 02 – WILLY Ward/Jan Breytenbach" (PDF). University of the Witwatersrand. 6 November 2008. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  21. ISBN 978-0313395703
    .
  22. ISBN 0852555458
    .
  23. ISBN 978-0857723529
    .
  24. ISBN 9783392816
    .
  25. ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto (1997) pp. 135-136
  26. ISBN 978-1108840767.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  27. ^ STAFFORD, Michael. "Quick Kill In Slow Motion: The Nigerian Civil War". Globalsecurityorg. Marine Corps Command and Staff College US Army (1984). Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  28. OCLC 933722215.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  29. ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto (1997) pp.136
  30. ^ The Journal of the British Institution of Radio Engineers, vol 23. British Institution of Radio Engineers. 1962. p. 34.
  31. ^ Adinuba, Don (21 July 2020). "Anambra State Govt. Mourns Late Col Aghanya". Heartbeat Of The East. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020.
  32. ^ "Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette" (PDF). No.45 Vol 69. 9 September 1982: 932. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  33. ^ Aghanya (2006) pp.219-236

References

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