Dear Mary.
“Mary, what a good woman!
Mary advised me not to go to war,
what a kind-hearted woman!
Mary if I don’t go to war to defend you,
the enemy will come carry you,
the enemy will come marry you
Instead of me to betray you, let me die at the battle field
I’ll be happier that way.
River Niger, the one at Onitsha
That’s the river the federal troops must not cross.
That’s probably where my soul will rest in peace.
We are already surrounded by enemies
We must fight”
- Song by teenage Biafran commandos, 1967.
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3 million Biafrans people died in that war.
River Niger was never crossed at Onitsha, the commandos held their ground. After 3 determined attempts, the federal troops incurred too many losses and instead decided to flank it from somewhere much further down the river.
By the time the war was over, there was hardly any Biafran male above 14 that was left alive. All went to war and sacrificed their lives at the battle field to defend kind-hearted Mary
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