Midwest Invasion of 1967

The Midwest Invasion of 1967 (August 9 - September 20, 1967) was a military operation between Nigerian and Biafran military forces. The invasion begun when 7,000 Biafran soldiers led by Generals Albert Okonkwo and Victor Banjo, who were able to conquer the mid-western region in less than 24 hours. The battle at Ore is considered the turning point of the Nigerian Civil War after Murtala Mohammed successfully fended off Victor Banjo.

Background
On 1 October 1960 Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom. The nation has three major ethnic groups: the Fulani and their Hausa counterparts, who are predominantly Muslim, inhabited the north; the Yoruba, who are a mix of Muslim and Christian, inhabited the south west; and in the south east are the Igbo, who were predominantly Christian, and retained their British influence which gave them the educational and economic advantage. In January 1966, a group of officers led by Nzeogwu, an Igbo, launched a military coup during which several political leaders were killed. In July 1966 the northerners, mainly the Fulani, led a counter coup and killed the Nigerian head of state Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo. In the resulting chaos, Yakubu Gowon, a Yoruba, took charge and furthered the Anti-Igbo sentiment, which led to death and displacement of millions of Igbo.

Odumegwu Ojukwu grasped the opportunity and led a secession of south eastern Nigeria. On 30 May 1967 the Republic of Biafra was proclaimed. The Nigerian government refused to recognize Biafra by proclaiming "Southern Nigeria is a part of Nigeria and it will stay that way". On 6 July 1967 the Nigerian army invaded Biafra resulting in the Battle of Nsukka and ultimately the commencement of the Biafran War.

Invasion
On August 9, 1967 over 7,000 Biafran soldiers led by Generals Albert Okonkwo and Victor Banjo crossed the River Niger Bridge at Onitsha and began an invasion of Nigeria's Mid-Western Region. Within 3 hours of beginning the invasion Okonkwo and Banjo reached Benin City and were able to capture the city with little to no resistance. On August 14 General Banjo was intercepted by Nigerian General Murtala Mohammed in the small junction town of Ore in modern day Ondo State. On September 17, 1967 Victor Banjo was found to be plotting to assassinate President Ojukwu. Banjo was taken from Ore to Enugu to stand on trial for treason. Due to Banjo's arrest Mohammed capitalized on this and easily broke through Biafran lines. On September 20 Mohammed reached Benin City and was able to quickly drive out the Biafran troops. Mohammed continued to pursue the Biafrans until Biafran soldiers detonated the Niger River Bridge at Onitsha which gave the Nigerians no way of entering Biafra. Most Biafran soldiers who had been cut off retreated to rural communities and escaped eastward when they got the chance.

Occupation
Resistance groups began springing up constantly consisting of mainly ethnic Urhobos and Ijaws. Because of a series of uprisings against the occupying Biafrans in Benin City, General Okonkwo began raising a force of loyal native inhabitants to combat the rebels. By August 18 Okonkwo had assembled a force of 780 reliable volunteers to keep natives from attacking or killing Biafran soldiers. Loyal inhabitants donated whatever weaponry they has to the Biafrans, which consisted mainly of single-shot rifles and double-barreled shotguns. Cooks began poisoning Biafran soldiers whenever they had the chance to and it was because of this that Biafran soldiers began only eating food that was cooked by ethnic Igbos or self-cooked. Rebellious natives who did not wish to fight would often seduce Biafran soldiers to get information out of them and tell Nigerian authorities. On August 20 a group of Urhobo/Ijaw rebels raided a Biafran camp and were successful in killing 50 soldiers while 16 rebels were killed in the skirmish. Due to these rebellions Biafran soldiers began raiding and pillaging villages belonging to Urhobos, Ijaws, and Itsekiri. Biafrans began targeting all non-Igbos for abuse which resulted in constant ethnic uprisings. On September 17 Mohammed began heading towards Benin City after the leaving of Victor Banjo which caused the city to erupt in chaos. Biafran soldiers did not bother fighting rebels but instead looted the entire city and even stole the equivalent of $5.6 million from the Benin City Bank. Due to the ethnic diversity in the area the Biafran President Odumegwu Ojukwu named General Okonkwo President of the newly formed Republic of Benin in an attempt for natives to become loyal to Benin.

Aftermath
Two days after the Biafran retreat at Benin City the predominantly Igbo town of Asaba was seized by Murtala Mohammed's soldiers but they were halted when retreating Biafran soldiers detonated the bridge causing Murtala Mohammed's men to be cut off from mainland Biafra. Mohammed twice attempted an amphibious attack on the Biafran town of Onitsha but was forced back by defending Biafan soldiers. On the other hand in the Biafran capital of Enugu was quickly being encroached upon by Nigerian soldiers led by Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo was able to break the Biafran lines at Enugu on October 4, 1967. President Odumegwu Ojukwu ordered an evacuation of the city and for the capital to be moved to Umuahia. On January 12, 1968 Murtala Mohammed finally succeeded in capturing Onitsha but lost it after 2 months of occupation when a force of 4,500 Biafran soldiers led by the Belgian mercenary Marc Goosens invaded the city while General Mohammed was in Lokoja.