83-year-old Major Asoya Hippolytus Azuka is a retired Major in the Nigerian army. In this interview with Austin Oyibode of NAIJ.com, Azuka speaks of his military experience, how they fought in the Nigerian civil war and later detained and dismissed for fighting on the side of Biafra.
Excerpt:
Let’s look at your background
I was born on December 29, 1934 into the family of Obi Asoya. My mother’s name is Rebecca, who hailed from Umuomake village, in Okpanam. I happen to be the only surviving child of my parents having lost the twins who were born before me. I attended St. Michaels’ Catholic School, Okpanam.
Towards the end of 1961, I saw an advertisement for people to be recruited into the Nigerian army. I took the examinations. I attended the interview in Kaduna because I was living in the North. When the results were out, they did not release my result.
They said they were going to add it to the list of those from the South since am from the South. So they conducted the Southerners examination in Lagos. They included my name as one of the successful ones. So that was how I joined the army.
Retired Major Asoya Azuka cutting the cake to celebrate his 83-year-birthday in Okpanam Delta state
When precisely did you join the army?
I did the Nigeria military training from November 1961 to July 1962 and those of us who were successful were later sponsored overseas for further training. So I went to Mons Officer Cadet School, England for training. I did the training, succeeded and came back as 2nd Lieutenant. That was how we got involved in the Nigerian army.
As a foremost military officer, who before joining the army, was at different intervals involved in teaching having pursued a career in education, what then would you say inspired you to participate in the Nigeria civil war?
We were in the army when the January 1966 coup took place. I was two days old in Dodan Barracks when it happened. We felt there was the urgent need for that change because of what was happening in the country as at then but in July 1966, there was a counter coup by the Northerners.
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So those of us who did not feel safe being in the North had to come back home to the South, precisely I was in Lagos. I was posted to the Guard Brigade, Lagos.
I was there until the counter coup in July. All the officers of Southern origin especially those of us from the mid-west as at then had to come back.
When the counter coup took place, there was no hiding place for people like us. So we were forced by circumstance to move across the Niger for protection and the Nigeria soldiers came twice to Okpanam here to look for me. I went to Biafra. That was where we stayed until the end of the war in 1970. When the war ended, I returned.
We rested for three weeks at home and, those of us who were Nigeria army personnel, despite the fact that circumstance forced us to fight on the side of the Biafra, were called back to Kaduna.
We reported at Kaduna and we were sorted out and later detained. A lot of us were put in prison detention for four years for fighting on the side of the Biafra till 1974 when we were eventually released. Since they released us we were happy to have been freed from detention; we came out and everybody started looking for a means of livelihood.
Does it mean you and other officers who fought in favour of Biafra as at then were retired?
We were not retired at that time. We were dismissed from the force. So we started protesting that those of us who survived were not responsible for the conflict in the country. We were only unfortunate to be in the midst of it.
So the protest began until 2008, everybody was on their own. We wrote series of protest letters; we were meeting regularly to chart a way forward. However, in 2008, we were considered and instead of dismissing us, they retired us. We were not taken back, they retired us and that enabled us to be having our little benefits. So it was better than nothing. That is what we are living on now.
Nigerian soldiers undergoing training
You came back home when the conflict began and you later reunited with Biafra army where you fought for. Share some of those experiences you had at the battle field
When we got across the Niger, they gathered us, lectured us and we did some bits of orientations so to say. Then my first posting was to 14 Division, Biafra army. I served briefly under Colonel Ogbugo Kalu, who was in-charge of the brigade and I was under him. So from there I was posted to Uguta. I held Uguta and from there I went to Egbema.
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The Nigeria troops wanted to take over the oil field at Egbema. It was my command, 60 brigade at Egbema that foiled their intention. After that I was still overseeing that unit until I was made a Divisional Commander and that was when I was made a full Colonel. Then later posted to S-Division and from there to Owerri. I was still at Owerri when Umuahia was threatened by the Nigeria troops who were coming from Uzuakoli.
I was then deployed to Umuahia. The Nigeria troop wanted to overrun Egbema down to Oguta. After that commission as Colonel, I was still in charge of the 60 brigade and from the 60 brigade, I was posted to S-Division. From S-Division my base was Owerri. From Owerri, Umuahia was threatened and I was drafted to that place. But for my timely intervention, the Nigeria troops would have captured Umuahia.
What is your take on the continued call for restructuring of the country?
Yes, the call is in the right direction. There is need for restructuring so as to ensure accelerated development. It would further boost and strengthen the unity of Nigeria. Since Nigeria is proclaiming to be operating federal system of government, it becomes imperative for the existence of units and regions.
That again implies that there must be resource control in which case the units remit certain percentage of the proceeds from their resources to the center. Apart from that, the issue of effective policing would have been taken care of because community policing would also take centre stage.
How the Nigerian army detained us for fighting for Biafra during the civil war – retired Major
Looking at Nigeria today with the high spate of insecurity, corruption and most importantly, the current economic quagmire confronting the nation, do you think there is still hope for the Nigeria you laboured for?
It is quite unfortunate that the country is bedeviled with these challenges but there would be light at the end of the tunnel if and again if our leaders, political office holders have genuine intention for the citizenry. They must be honest and sincere in the articulation of certain policies that are critical to the socio-economic development of the nation.
At a time like this, the call for restructuring of the nation must be adhered to. There is hope for the country again; it would definitely surmount the challenges, especially the economic issue and for the security problem, various security agencies must be strengthened so as to carry out their functions effectively.
As at 1967-70 when the war broke out and ended, were you still a single or married then?
I got married by the time I entered the military training. When I came back from the St. Mary’s Catholic School, Lokoja, I got married to one Mary Emechete who was a teacher also from Okpanam and the marriage was fruitful. It was during our sojourn in Biafra. In 1970, I married late Maria Garrett who was a very calm, peaceful, caring and loving woman.
She was also very honest in everything and that marriage was also blessed with five children. She was a teacher. She had a degree in education. After our marriage, I sent her to the university. She taught at Imaguero College, Benin City before being posted to Mary Mount College, Agbor and thereafter transferred to St. Mulumba, here in Okpanam until she retired and later died in 2008.The death was painful because she was such a good woman.
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