General Alabi Isama, author of The Tragedy of Victory: On-the-Spot Account of the Nigeria-Biafra War in the Atlantic Theater has recalled an incident during the Nigerian Civil War that exposed the deep divisions within the Biafran command structure.
Speaking on the Edmund Obilo Podcast, General Isama narrated how a senior naval commander in Biafra, Anuku faced outright defiance from an officer under him because of his ethnic background.
“Anuku, the navy commander in Biafra, was from Agbo. Anuku gave Paschal Odu an order, he refused to obey it. He said, ‘but you are not a Biafran,’” Afowowe recounted.
The episode, according to General Isama, highlighted the challenges of loyalty and identity in the heat of the war. Though Anuku held a high-ranking position within the Biafran Navy, his origin outside the Igbo heartland meant his authority was questioned by some officers, despite the collective struggle for survival during the conflict.
Paschal Odu’s refusal to obey a direct order not only undermined military discipline but also shows the ethnic complexities that plagued the Biafran cause. For many historians, such divisions weakened the war effort and exposed the fragility of the secessionist movement’s internal unity.
General Isama explained that moments like this revealed the layers of mistrust and the difficulty of building a cohesive command structure in a conflict driven as much by identity as by politics. The revelation provides fresh perspective on the Biafran experience, often remembered for its tragedies but less frequently examined through the lens of internal fractures.
Through his work, General Isama seeks to connect such historical accounts with broader themes of leadership, loyalty and identity in Nigeria’s past, drawing lessons from both the civil war and later military regimes.
