Nigerian Civil War begins

On July 6, 1967, Nigerian federal forces launched their first major military offensive against the breakaway Republic of Biafra, marking the beginning of a devastating civil war. The federal government, led by General Yakubu Gowon, deployed troops across multiple fronts to reclaim the oil-rich Eastern Region that had declared independence under Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu. The initial federal strategy focused on capturing key cities like Nsukka and Ogoja while implementing an economic blockade to isolate the secessionist territory.

The war's roots lay in the political crisis following the January 1966 coup, which killed many Northern political leaders, and the subsequent July counter-coup that targeted Igbo officers and civilians. Escalating ethnic tensions culminated in widespread massacres of Igbos living in Northern Nigeria, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee to the Eastern Region. When negotiations between Gowon's federal government and Eastern Region military governor Ojukwu failed to resolve issues of autonomy and security, the East declared independence as Biafra on May 30, 1967.