Exactly 54 years ago, a war broke out in Nigeria. This war needs no formal introduction as everyone knows that the only war that broke out in Nigeria, and consequently brought dust on her head was the Nigerian Civil War, which is also known as the Biafran war.

After reading the story of the war, I found out that there were two underreported crimes that were swept under the carpet for reasons unknown. Today, I will be revealing the two crimes that took place during the Nigerian Civil War but people did not care because they thought it was nothing.

1. Minorities nightmare

The both parties involved in the war should be really ashamed of themselves. Seriously, I see no difference between a Biafran soldier and a Nigerian soldier during that war, because these guys have the same attitude only that they wore different uniforms.

During the civil war, some minority groups such as the Ibibio, Ijaw, Ikwerre, Ogoni and many others faced a lot of nightmares because soldiers from both sides (Nigeria and Biafra) were actually killing them. These minority groups actually made up about 40% of the Biafran population in 1966. These guys were not igbos, but they were regarded as igbos, and they were being killed by the Nigerian soldiers.

On the other hand, the Biafrans believed that these minority groups were betraying them by supporting the Federal Government ( the actual truth was that these minority groups maintained neutrality in the war), so they decided to start combing the communities of these groups and started killing them, raping their women and lynching them. Despite a seemingly natural alliance between these victims of the pogroms in the north, tensions rose as minorities, who had always harbored an interest in having their own state within the Nigerian federation, were suspected of collaborating with Federal troops to undermine Biafra.

The Federal troops were equally culpable of this crime. In the Rivers area, ethnic minorities sympathetic to Biafra were killed in the hundreds by federal troops. In Calabar, some 2000 Efiks were also killed by Federal troops. Outside of the Biafra, atrocities were recorded against the resident of Asaba in present-day Delta State by both sides of the conflict.

These minority groups were branded as "Saboteurs", which means they were agents of sabotage.

This is one of the reasons I will continue to advise the people of the south-south never to merge with the East, because the East would always see itself as the Superior. They have done it before, and they may likely do it again.

2. Stolen properties and positions

Many igbos were doing well in different sectors in Nigeria before the war broke out. These igbos who owned houses in the Western and northern part of the country had to flee and leave their property behind after the War started. After the war ended, the igbos who were working for the government but fled during the war were not taken back. The government said that they resigned .

Also the houses of the igbos in the west and north were taking over by the Western and northern neighbours. People from other regions were quick to take over any house owned by an Igbo, especially in the Port Harcourt area. The Nigerian Government justified this by terming such properties abandoned. 

These two crimes portrayed injustice and I will never forget them. However, I want the appropriate people to learn from this, because history always has a way of repeating itself, especially to those who ignorantly fail to learn from it's lessons.

Thank you for reading.

Follow my page here https://msite.feednews.com/?userId=4ecafe8a0f164017b657e1196b6ef7c1&language=en&country=NG

Content created and supplied by: AllNewsAfrica (via Opera News )