MyNigeria has come across an old newspaper article issued by The Sidney Morning Herald on January 27, 1970, detailing how a German doctor saw retreating Biafran soldiers blow up a bridge on Christmas Day, killing 12 of the 90 refugees on it. This was during the Nigerian civil war fought to prevent the Eastern region from seceding.

Dr. Dieter Eichenlaub, 31, of Berlin, told reporters that the bridge was blown up when the soldiers could not stop a stream of Ibo refugees as troops of the Federal Third Marine Commando Division advanced on Owerri.

The incident happened at the Imo River, east of Owerri.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria correspondent of the Paris newspaper Figaro quoted two French doctors in Biafra as bitterly complaining about the behaviour of Biafran officials and their leader, General Ojukwu, in the last moments of their rebellion.

“IGNOBLE”

The two doctors said: "They (the Biafran officials) were ignoble. They demanded that refugee children step down from a plane so that they could take their place.

“A military man threatened the pilot with his submachine gun. There was panic and cowardice at the highest degree. These types behaved like dirt.

“In the free-for-all, the gangway broke up and killed one of the children. A truck backed up as the plane left precipitately and crushed another child to death.

“In the meantime, we saw Ojukwu's departure. That wasn't a pretty sight either.

“He arrived in his huge Mercedes. He had them load nearly three tons of luggage onto his plane and then… ‘Good-bye, everybody.’”

ASA