During the civil war that lasted exactly two years, six months, and nine days, Nigerian and Biafran troops engaged in a number of confrontations, one of which was the Abagana Ambush on March 31, 1968. The Nigerian army suffered the greatest single loss in the civil war during this ambush.
Background
In October 1967, the Nigerian Army’s 2nd Division under Col. Biafran soldiers were pursued by Murtala Muhammed into Onitsha. They destroyed a portion of the River Niger Bridge shortly after the Biafran army entered Onitsha to prevent Nigerian troops from crossing.
After being struck on the other side of the river, the Nigerian troops returned to Asaba and carried out an attack that became known as the Asaba Massacre of 1967 in Nigerian history.
After three unsuccessful attempts, the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army finally reached Onitsha and captured the city in December 1967.
The 2nd Division, commanded by Murtala, intended to join the 1st Division, commanded by Col. Through Nsukka in Enugu, Shuwa was entering the Igbo heartland from the north. As a result, on March 31, 1968, the Nigerian 2nd Division set out in a large convoy toward Enugu, accompanied by armored vehicles.
Col. Abagana’s Ambush On March 31, 1968, it was said that Murtala Muhammed had put together and set up a convoy of 102 vehicles, including troop carriers, fuel tankers, and four armored cars, to help with this plan.
However, the plan was discovered by Biafran secret intelligence, and it was reported to a higher Biafran command, which immediately planned an ambush. Major Jonathan Uchendu, a 700-man unit, was given the task of ambushing the Nigerian invasion force at Abagana on the Enugu-Onitsha highway.
Ogbunigwe rocket displayed at the umuahia museum.
A surprise attack from a smaller but better prepared Biafran army stopped the unsuspecting Nigerian 2nd division, which consisted of approximately 6000 soldiers. Before firing on the Nigerian troops, the Biafran troops allowed them to march into their midst.
During the Abagana Ambush, a homemade rocket called ogbunigwe was used. A fuel tanker in the Nigerian army convoy was directly hit by one of the ogbunigwe rockets, which set off a chain of explosions that resulted in a 400-meter fireball that consumed people and metals in a matter of seconds.
Numerous infantry units were destroyed by exploding refueling vehicles. Biafran soldiers opened fire following the OGBUNIGWE rocket attack, killing the remaining members of the shocked Nigerian Army’s 2nd division.
In the attack, about 600 Nigerian soldiers perished; Numerous others fled in various directions. Col. After that, Murtala Muhammed was let go from his position, and he never led a division again during the war. Even though some accounts claim that Murtala was in the convoy, there was no definitive evidence to support this.
According to Jonathan Uchendu, who led the Biafran army during the Abagana Ambush, seeing the 2nd Division convoy almost paralyzed his troops. His boys were more panicked than anything else when it came time to fire.
Before he gave the order, he asked them to remain calm. He let a lot of the convoy from the Nigerian 2nd Division through. His boys were perplexed as to why he would let them enter the Biafran-held zone.
Despite their trepidation and suspicion, they trusted his military valor and eagerly anticipated his strategy.
During the Nigerian-Biafran war, the Abagana Ambush was probably the most decisive battle that the Biafrans ever won.