Three Igbo groups – Igbo Peoples’ Congress, Igbo Progressive Forum and Igbo Aborigines -have declared one week mourning for the fallen war hero, Col Joe Achuzia, the ‘Hannibal’ of Biafran Army. He died in the early hours Monday, February 26, in a private hospital in Asaba, Delta State.
Achuzia was one of Biafra’s most resourceful commanders who fought at different sectors of the war especially at Abagana, Oguta and Okigwe where he made mince meat of Federal troops during the war.
His opponents on the Nigerian side dreaded him and fidgeted to meet him at the battle front. His Biafran troops also dreaded his n- nonsense mien at the battle front. He hardly tolerated weakling soldiers hence the tag ‘Air Raid’ given to him. Col Achuzie was so trusted by the Biafra leader Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu that he roved round the Biafran enclave especially in hot zones where he decimated his enemies.
Achuzia played a crucial role in ending the Biafran war when he engaged the Federal officers in the tete-a-tete that brought them into contact with top Biafran commanders at Amichi in Nnewi.
After the war Achuzia was detained and later released some years after. He later joined politics, the NPN and years after the APGA which he felt was a fall back political platform for Ndigbo.
Achuzia was the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation some years ago when Prof Joe Irukwu was the President General. He was also the Secretary-General of the Indigenous People of Biafra and leader of the Igbozurume group.
Col Achuzia was highly cerebral and participated in the Korean War of the 50s. He wrote the popular book Requiem Biafra.
In his, own reaction, Chuks Ibegbu, the President of the Coalition of Civil Society Organosations of Nigeria (COCSON) the umbrella body of all civil society organisations in Nigeria, expressed shock at the death of the statesman and called on the Delta State government, governments of states of the South East and the Federal government to immortalize him.
Other Nigerian groups that expressed their condolences to Ndgbo and Delta State government include Movement for a Better Nigeria, Nigeria Elders Forum and Nigeria in Diaspora Organisation.
Dr Francis Akinseye, Chief Essien Abraham and Abdulrahman Yusuf spoke on behalf of the groups.