Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu: How Late Ohanaeze Ndigbo President Aided Ojukwu’s Escape in 1970

• Ohanaeze Ndigbo president-general Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who died on Thursday, July 25, played a key role in the escape of Odumegwu Ojukwu, the generalissimo and leader of Biafra
• Iwuanyanwu narrated how his undergraduate education was disrupted during the Nigeria civil war when he was just in his final year at the UNN in Enugu
• According to Iwuanyanwu, he led the Biafran forces that staged opposition against the Nigeria forces and allowed Ojukwu to escape

Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo president-general, passed away on July 25 at 81. He played a crucial role in the Biafran artillery during Nigeria's three-year civil war.

After the war, Iwuanyanwu contributed to reconciliatory efforts in post-war Nigeria in the 1970s. He served in government and represented the political interests of the Igbo people.

Read also

Tinubu, Peter Obi, Sanwo-Olu, others mourn as Ifeanyi Ubah dies in London

Why Iwuanyanwu did complete school

Iwuanyanwu was a successful businessman who worked in engineering for local and international corporate establishments. The Nigerian civil war disrupted his studies at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu state.

During the war, he was drafted into the Biafra Research and Production (RaP) directorate. Iwuanyanwu worked on producing critical amenities and armaments, including bombs and rockets.

He served as a soldier, rising to the rank of captain, and led strategic battles, including the defence of Biafra's Uli Airport.

How Iwuanyanwu helped Ojukwu

Iwuanyanwu played a key role in enabling Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Biafran leader, to escape capture in January 1970.

The Biafran generalissimo Ogukwu handed over power to his second in command, Philip Effiong, in January 1970. He then fled to Cote d'Ivoire, where he obtained political asylum.

Read also

"Man who didn’t know tribe or religion": Nigerians react as Senator Ifeanyi Ubah dies in London

In his account, the late president of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo formed a strong opposition to the federal government's forces, which paved the way for Ojukwu's escape.

See the video of his interview here:

How Igbo stopped the 1966 military coup

Legit.ng earlier reported that Iwuanyanwu washed clean the Igbo from the 1966 bloody military coup that Chukwuma Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna led.

Iwuanyanwu stated that Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, another Igbo from Umuahia, mobilized to stop the deadly coup.

Multiple sources reported that the brutal coup by Nzeogwu and Ifeajuna toppled Nigeria's democracy in its 6th year and produced an Igbo as the first military head of state who did not hand over power to a democratic government until he was assassinated.

Source: Legit.ng