Port Harcourt falls

In May 1968, Nigerian federal forces under the Second Division successfully captured Port Harcourt, the oil-rich commercial hub of the breakaway Republic of Biafra. The operation involved coordinated attacks by federal troops who had been advancing through Rivers State for months. Biafran forces, led by Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi's men, were forced to retreat as federal artillery and infantry overwhelmed their defensive positions around the strategic port city.

Port Harcourt's capture was crucial to the federal government's strategy of economic strangulation against Biafra. The city served as Biafra's primary outlet to the sea and controlled access to significant oil installations that funded the secessionist war effort. Federal forces had been systematically capturing coastal areas since 1967, aiming to cut off Biafran access to international supplies and revenue from petroleum exports that sustained Colonel Ojukwu's rebellion.