Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha; Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide, yesterday joined the rest of the world to mourn the passage of the Nigeria Civil War veteran, Col. Joe Achuzie.
In a statement signed by IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group described Achuzia, who died on Monday February 26, 2018, in his home town of Asaba, Delta State, during a brief illness, as an extraordinary and exceptional charismatic personality.
IPOB pledged to peacefully continue from where he stopped, until Biafra is fully restored the same way he restored Biafran dignity in the battlefield against all odds.
The pro Biafran group said Achuzia and his war time colleague, Timothy Onwuatuegwu, most represented the spirit of bravery and patriotism which characterised the military campaign that prevented the annihilation of the Biafran race.
The statement recalled that it was Achuzia that led the gallant Biafran soldiers that inflicted heavy defeat on the enemy at Abagana and also masterminded the recapture of Owerri, the then capital of Biafra from a better equipped British backed Russian armed Nigerian Army.
“Col. Joe Achuzia will be remembered by history as one of the finest and bravest soldiers the world had ever seen. Though his exploits were in a quickly forgotten war in black Africa, the magnitude of his accomplishments put in context, ranks amongst the greatest military feats of the modern era. From his heroics in the famous Abagana sector victory over Murtala Mohammed, to his recapture of Owerri, Achuzia left an indelible mark that will be acknowledged by every generation of Biafrans until the end of time. He is our icon and all time hero.”
Meanwhile, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), under the leadership of Uchenna Madu, has commiserated with the family of the late Achuzie, Ndigbo and all Biafrans .
In a statement by the National Director of Information of MASSOB, Mr. Edeson Samuel, the group said Col. Achuzie, who it described as the peoples general, laid down his life for his people, adding that he never gave up the fight for the emancipation of Ndigbo and Biafrans from Nigeria’s enslavement through the British imposition.
MASSOB described him as a commander of commanders of Biafra army, who led Biafra commando units to recapture many sectors that fell for the enemies and was a fearless general who never gave up until the war was over.
“MASSOB has lost a father, a motivator and a true Biafran leader. Ndigbo, Biafrans and the entire world will always remember his heroism.
“MASSOB vowed that all his legacies, visions and thoughts for Biafra will never be abandoned. The course which he fought in his life time will never see ruin.
“We are being motivated by Col. Achuzie’s slogans which always ring in our hearts, which say, ‘If they cut you off, cut them in’ and also ‘Not for me and not for my boys.”