How many Easterners Died in Nigeria-Biafra Civil War 1967-1970?, by Ejike E. Okpa

Enumerating population is a challenging exercise, especially in developing countries where certain factors are absent to provide a credible basis for reasonable estimates. Notwithstanding the challenges, nations have to be associated and identified with a population.

The benefits of accurate or reasonable population estimates are to assist in planning by grouping the data into segments for various analyses. Without belaboriing various ways to conduct population estimates, I have often wondered how people died during Nigeria-Biafra Civil War?

While Igbos unduly feel they suffered the most, it was not an Igbo war but war of secession by Eastern Nigeria, which was not all Igbos.

Eastern Nigeria then is now 9 states – Abia, Akwa Ibiom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers, out of each 5 are geographically considered core Igbo states. Then Eastern Nigeria was 33 Divisions with provinces. The overall population of Eastern Nigeria was far less than 15 million.

There were hardly towns or cities, Enugu, Calabar, PH, Aba, Onitsha that had a million people in them.

Now, with this general overview, it is hard to digest that 3m Eastern Nigerians majority Igbos got killed during the 30-month uprising called war.

When the number that is alleged to have been killed or died is divided by the war duration, it overwhelms what in statistical jargon is seen as improbable.

There are no mass graves in Eastern Nigeria where people were buried due to the war. No Igbo/Eastern Nigeria village or town can produce a list of persons in hundreds or tens of thousands that died who are natives to that particular town or village.

My father represented Awgu Division in the Biafra Consultative Assembly, which replaced Eastern Nigeria House of Chiefs.

Awgu Division was made up of 21 towns – there won’t be data support to back or justify that in each town, 1,000 of their natives died during the war. I will challenge any Igbo to go to their village and produce number remotely close.

With this in mind, I will say unequivocally that far less than one million Easterners died during the war with majority Igbos.

The other numbers put out are largely bogus and exaggerated for public consumption to induce heightened pain.

I am not trying to undermine or downplay the painful losses.

I am just confident that millions didn’t die as Nigerians have been made to think.

Since Nigerians are given to exaggeration then and now, even the current population of 200m Nigerians is just as good as believing Sahara Desert is a rainforest.

Now shoot after chewing on this.

Ejike E. Okpa Global Affairs Analyst.