Ejike Obumneme Aghanya

At the outbreak of hostilities in July 1967 that marked the beginning of the Nigerian Biafran war, Aghanya was commissioned into the Biafran Army with the rank of Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the 44th Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Battalion Biafran Army by the then Chief of Staff Biafran Army, Brigadier Hillary Njoku. A few weeks into the conflict he was further appointed as head of the Biafran Agency for Research and Production (RAP) by General Ojukwu. In this position Aghanya was in charge of coordinating Biafran scientists, engineers and raw materials in a concerted effort at boosting the industrial production of war relevant materials for the Biafran government. Under his leadership, various scientific work groups were created to achieve specific goals. Priorities were weapons, ammunition and fuel. To this end he set up and supervised among others:

"The Anti-aircraft Rocket (Piom-Piom) Group headed by Engineer Seth Nwanagu; the Fuel or Petroleum Groups headed by Dr. Ogbuehi, Engineer Onyenso and Engineer Iteke; ‘Ogbunigwe’ Groups headed by Engineer Willy Achukwu, Engineer Austin Odiwe, Engineer Roy Umenyi, Engineer E. Kaine, Dr. Felix Oragwu; the Biological Groups headed by Prof. Njoku-Obi and Dr. Okafor; the Armoured Vehicle Groups headed by Engr. Iwobi and Engineer Dike; the Anti-tank war-head and Rocket Groups headed by Prof. Ezilo, Prof. Ezekwe, Dr. Felix Oragwu, Engineer Kaine, Capt. Ohaya etc; the food Preservation Groups headed by Prof. Njoku-Obi, Dr. Ene, etc; the Rocket-fuel Group headed by Dr. Akalonu (from America); the Hand-grenade Groups headed by Mr. B. Nwogbo and Engineer Okafor of Dockyard, Port Harcourt; the Salt Groups headed by Prof. Agu Ogan, Dr. Obasi and Mr. Ekechukwu; the Matches and Candle Groups headed by Dr. Osisiogu, Dr. Caleb Wakama; the Vehicles Repair, Modification and Renovation Group headed by Engineer Roy Umenyi, Engineer Onwubualili, Engineer Capt. Ohaya. The Telecommunication Equipment Modification Group, was headed by Prof. Chijioke. The Battery Reconditioning and Reproduction Group was headed by Dr. Mike Nwachukwu. The Finance and General Administration Group was headed by Dr. B.C. Nwosu."[15]

Under his command of RAP, the infamous Biafran Ogbunigwe weapons systems which included command detonation mines, improvised explosive devices, and rocket propelled missiles were designed and mass produced by the Republic of Biafra. According to Biafran government claims at the time, the RAP produced surface to air missile (Piom-Piom) was the first rocket to be wholly designed, developed, mass-produced and launched in Africa.

Aghanya was in charge of supervising the various scientific groups he set up, sourcing and supply of raw materials needed for production as well as distribution of finished products to the troops. He was further in charge of testing prototypes, as well as training the troops in the use of the various home made weapons, bombs, grenades and missiles. To this end he created various Ogbunigwe squads which were distributed in fire brigade style to the various war fronts as the need arose. Initially posted to Bonny to help defend Port Harcourt from the advances of Benjamin Adekunle`s 3rd Marine Commando division with his Biafra made mines, shore batteries and missiles, he was later deployed with his Ogbunigwe troops to Onitsha by General Ojukwu to defend that city against attacks from Murtala Mohammed´s Second Division. Aghanya played a major role in the defense of Onitsha.[16][17] Aghanya and his Ogbunigwe troops also played major roles in the defense of the towns of Aba, Ikot Ekpene, Umuahia and Owerri.[18]

After the fall of some major Biafran enclaves such as Enugu, Abakaliki, Calabar, Ikot-Ekpene and Port Harcourt, it became increasingly obvious that Biafra could not adequately defend herself using only conventional troops. Aghanya therefore approached General Ojukwu and the new Biafran Army Chief of Staff, Major General Madiebo, with the proposal of setting up a guerrilla force in divisional strength, which was to operate behind enemy lines especially in the areas of Biafra occupied by Nigerian troops. The force was to be made up of civilians, including women, who after having been trained in sabotage and the use of RAP made explosive gadgets would infiltrate behind enemy lines. Aghanya was given the assignment of setting up, equipping and training the guerrilla force which was named Biafran Organisation of Freedom Fighters (BOFF). Also called "Rangers", the idea behind this division was partly inspired and loosely based on the Viet Cong role model.[19] He got a team of South African instructors under Colonel Jan Breytenbach to train the BOFF troops in sabotage and counter insurgency.[5][20][21] Aghanya was made the commanding officer of this new branch of the armed forces with title of Chief of Staff.[22][23] Members of his staff included Chinua Achebe, Dr Ukwu I. Ukwu and Dr Okonjo (father to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) [4] The headquarters of the BOFF Division was located at Umuahia.[24]

Regarding aims, objectives and modus operandi of BOFF, Ezenwa-Ohaeto quotes Aghanya as follows:

"The Biafrans did not have the fire power that could match the fire power of the other side, so it became necessary for us to plan and formulate our battles in terms of defence warfare. All the people who were thinking alike wanted to form an organisation that would achieve these aims. The primary aim was to drive the enemy out of the land of Biafra and not to capture strange lands. The organisation was to involve fellow Biafrans in captured areas to help in driving the enemy out. Since the regular army was there, there was the need to demarcate areas of operation. The regular army operated in front while the BOFF operated behind enemy lines. The aim was that as the regular army became weaker then the Freedom Fighters would become stronger."[25]

BOFF was the most important fighting force in Biafra aside from the regular army.[26] In April 1968 they achieved a brief but spectacular feat by recapturing Asaba from the Nigerian Army Second Division, blocking off direct supply across the Niger River. They also prevented the Nigerian Army Second Division from linking up with the First Division Headquartered at Enugu by effectively blocking the Onitsha-Enugu road until the end of the war. By September 1968 they were operating extensively behind enemy lines, in the Mid-Western region and other areas of occupied Biafra.[27] By June 1969, Biafran guerrilla operations were so extensive in the Mid West that six Nigerian Army Battalions had to be deployed to the area in an attempt to check the menace.[28] The BOFF under Aghanya also played a major role in the recapture of Owerri in 1969.[29]