August 1969, Akokwa town was a refugee town accomodating people who had escaped other towns and villages were fighting was fierce. Thus the Red Cross and Caritas who were involved in distributing relief materials to the refugees as well as villagers had recruited some of us as workers. This is my biafran story. A week after my wedding to Iheyinwa at the St Peters Anglican Church Akokwa, a wedding that was well attended despite the war.
A celebration no matter how measly the dishes were, was a genuine distraction from the realities of the war. People dressed up in their old fancy clothes which they were lucky to grab as they fled their homes and villages. it was also an opportunity for people to save their food at the expense of the bride and groom.
Well this particular morning I had a towel round my waist after a bath in the bathroom behind our honeymoon suite. Actually one bedroom we shared with one of my uncles sons, in my uncles house by the roadside. When all of a sudden two uniformed biafran soldiers rushed into the compound.
''Hey Stop there'' he shouted pointing his rifle at me. I presented all my documents and pass indicating I was a red cross worker but he did not listen.
My wife and family members then advised that I dress up and follow them to avoid manhandling as they have been known to beat up and even kill those who resist conscription. Biafra was loosing the battle on many grounds and they lacked fighters at the war front people were deserting on daily basis.
I put on my clothes, a khaki brown trouser and shirt very popular among teachers in those days. The soldiers matched me out of the house in millitary style, outside I joined a long line of young men of different ages, sizes and attitudes some half dressed, some injured, however all of us had one thing in common fear of the unknown. The stories we have heard from deserters about the war front and how the new conscripts were used as human shields for the trained soldiers were still fresh on our mind. The conscripts once they get to the war front were give stones and sent into he war front to face the enemy.
We were loaded unto a Morris Minor truck one after the other we climbed into the truck and it zoomd off leaving family members, friends and relatives who had come to plead on our behalf were left in a cloud of dust as their herst sank for us, my newwife had cried all the way carrying breafast she had prepared. She had pleaded with the soldiers to allow me eat afraid her husband would go to war on empty stomach, but all her entraties fell on deaf ears.
We drove along the dusty road out of Akokwa throug Osina, Urualla towards Orlu town. All of a sudden one of my cousins who was also conscripted at the Orie market bursted into a war song, His song was received with mixed feelings but he sang with such vivacity that some joined in the song and the soldiers commanded the rest of us to sing along.
''Ogbo ayi agaghi agha .Onye ga aga?''
''Agha''
''Ogbo ayi agaghi agha . Onye ga aga?
''Aghe''
''Aghe''
''Umu Okoro agaghi agha. Onye ga aga?
''Agha''
We sang the infectious war song and at a point you would think we all were volunteers and not conscripts and deserters. The truck was manned by two armed soldiers while the third drove the truck. On getting to a steep hill the soldiers more relaxed now hung their guns behind their back and took the job of placing wedges behind the truck as it climbed to prevent it from rolling backward down the hill. as the Truck edged closer to the top of the hill my cousin and his fellow plotters sensing the distraction of the soldiers leaped off the truck and darted into the forest in all directions the sodiers had wedges in their hands and cold not pursue them. My cousin escaped with about four of the conscripts and maybe with their life. The soldiers were able to secure the rest of us as they did not allow anybody to fool them again till we got to the camp at Obowo.
