Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information The Asaba Massacre In October 1967, early in the Nigerian Civil War, government troops entered Asaba in pursuit of the retreating Biafran army, slaughtering thousands of civilians and leaving the town in ruins. News of the atrocity was suppressed by the Nigerian government, with the complicity of Britain, and its significance in the subsequent progress of that conflict was misunderstood. Drawing on archival sources on both sides of the Atlantic and interviews with survivors of the killing, pillaging, and rape, as well as with high-ranking Nigerian military and political leaders, S. Elizabeth Bird and Fraser M. Ottanelli offer an interdisciplinary reconstruction of the history of the Asaba Massacre, redefining it as a pivotal point in the history of the war. Through this, they also explore the long afterlife of trauma, the reconstruction of memory and how it intersects with justice, and the task of reconciliation in a nation where a legacy of ethnic suspicion continues to reverberate. s. elizabeth bird is Professor of Anthropology at the University of South Florida. She has published over 80 articles and chapters on popular culture, media, heritage, and memory, as well as five books, one of which won an Outstanding Book Award from the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights, while another was awarded the International Communication Association’s Outstanding Book Award. fraser m. ottanelli is Professor of History at the University of South Florida. He has authored and co authored four books and several articles and essays on radical movements, ethnic history, and com- parative migration in the twentieth century. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA), an educational non-profit dedicated to promoting social activism and the defense of human rights. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information The Asaba Massacre Trauma, Memory, and the Nigerian Civil War s. elizabeth bird and fraser m. ottanelli University of South Florida © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia 4843/24, 2nd Floor, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, Delhi – 110002, India 79 Anson Road, #06–04/06, Singapore 079906 Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107140783 DOI: 10.1017/9781316493168 © S. Elizabeth Bird and Fraser M. Ottanelli 2017 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2017 Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc. A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-107-14078-3 Hardback ISBN 978-1-316-50616-5 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information To the people of Asaba © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information Contents List of Figures page viii List of Maps xi Acknowledgments xii Prologue xvi 1 The Road to War and Massacre 1 2 What Happened at Asaba? 21 3 Causes and Consequences 62 4 Surviving the Occupation 114 5 Reclaiming Memory in an Age of New Media 148 6 Trauma, Identity, Memorialization, and Justice 179 Sources Consulted 218 Index 232 vii © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information Figures 1.1 Lt.-Col. Murtala Muhammed (center), along with Col. Godwin Ally (left) and Col. Francis Aisida, both brigade commanders with the Second Division, near Benin City, September 23, 1967. Photo courtesy of Associated Press. page 17 2.1 Niger riverbanks, looking toward Asaba, Asaba-Onitsha ferry crossing. Photo by Simon Ottenberg, c. 1959–1960. Simon Ottenberg Collection, EEPA 2000-007-0764, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. 22 2.2 Students at Asaba Girls’ Grammar School perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – the “hole in the wall” scene, 1963–1964. Photo by Carol Kimmons. 24 2.3 Midwest Premier Dennis Osadebay leads a motorcade through the Cable Point area of Asaba during the December 1964 general election campaign. Photo by Eric Strauss. 25 2.4 Col. Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu (center, looking through field glasses), and his troops survey the situation at the Niger bridge. Photo courtesy of Ahmed Adoke. 34 2.5 The Onitsha end of the Niger River Bridge, after it had been blown up by retreating Biafran troops. Photo by Ahmed Adoke. 34 2.6 Federal troops progress up a street in Asaba’s Cable Point District, past houses destroyed by shelling, October 1967. Photo by Bill Norris, courtesy of The Times.37 viii © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information list of figures ix 2.7 Members of the extended Isichei family at the ordination of Father Patrick Isichei (center, parents Flora and Francis Okafor Isichei on either side). Others pictured include Osi (first row standing, far right) and Emmanuel (next to Flora), both killed at Asaba; Celestina (next to Osi); Victor Izegbu (back row, far right). Asaba, 1966. Photo courtesy of Victor Izegbu. 43 2.8 A home in Cable Point, Asaba, after the arrival of federal troops, October 1967. Photo by Bill Norris, courtesy of The Times.52 2.9 Col. Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu (center), with other officers, leaves a ferryboat used for the failed attempt to take Onitsha. Photo courtesy of Ahmed Adoke. 59 3.1 A typical news image of Biafran starvation, July 1, 1968. Photo by Kent Gavin, Daily Mirror, courtesy of Mirrorpix. 63 3.2 A woman combs through abandoned belongings looted from homes. Cable Point, Asaba, October 1967. Photo by Bill Norris, courtesy of The Times.91 4.1 The Uraih family in Kano in 1962, celebrating the admittance of oldest son Ben (sitting far right) to medical school in Britain. Sitting: Paul (killed at Asaba in 1967), baby Robert, Mrs. Veronica Uraih, Victoria, Ben. Standing: Anthony, Ify (on stool), Lucy Chineze, Emma (killed in 1967), Ubaka. Father Robert Uraih and son Medua not present. Photo courtesy of Ify Uraih. 126 4.2 S. Elizabeth Bird interviews Felix Onochie, who is showing a photo of his brother Emmanuel, killed in the “second operation.” Photo by Fraser M. Ottanelli. 131 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information x list of figures 4.3 Refugee camp at St. Patrick’s College, Asaba, 1968. Photo by Brad and Jean Abernethy, courtesy of AFSC. 132 4.4 Portions of meat laid out for refugee meals. Two cows were slaughtered each day, yielding portions for more than 2,000 people. Refugee camp, St. Patrick’s College, Asaba, 1968. Photo by Brad and Jean Abernethy, courtesy of AFSC. 134 4.5 Families line up outside the Catholic Mission to receive food and other supplies. Asaba, late 1968. Photo by Brad and Jean Abernethy, courtesy of AFSC. 139 5.1 One of several commemorative family plaques in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Photo by Fraser M. Ottanelli. 149 5.2 Composite photo showing Rose Nduka-Eze, who was killed in Asaba, holding her older son Anthony and with younger son, Chuck, superimposed. Courtesy of Chuck Nduka-Eze. 151 6.1 The October 7 monument at Ogbe-Osowa, Asaba. Photo by S. Elizabeth Bird. 204 6.2 Asaba Commemoration Day Procession, 2012. Survivor Dr. Ify Uraih is center front. Photo by Fraser M. Ottanelli. 205 6.3 Detail from an outdoor mural at the home of Dr. and Mrs. E.A.C. Nwanze, depicting the Oct. 7 massacre. Created by Tony Nwalupue. 207 6.4 Community members view “The Most Vulnerable Nigerians” exhibit. Asaba, 2012. Photo by Fraser M. Ottanelli. 208 6.5 The Mungo Park House Museum, Asaba. Photo by S. Elizabeth Bird. 211 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-14078-3 — The Asaba Massacre S. Elizabeth Bird , Fraser M. Ottanelli Frontmatter More Information Maps 1.1 The four regions of Nigeria, 1963–1967. Cartography by Bill Nelson. 6 1.2 The advance of Biafran troops into the Midwest Region. Cartography by Bill Nelson.