Biafran war veterans angry, set to storm streets

Forty-four years after disengagement from the Nigerian military service, hundreds of Nigerian civil war veterans have slated a nationwide protest for May 11, to register their displeasure against the Federal Government over non-payment of their entitlements.

National Coordinator, First Intake Able Voluntary Retired or Discharged Ten or More Years in Military Service, Babawande Philips, made the disclosure during a press conference in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

We gathered that about 9,000 civil war veterans were involved in the struggle initially. But as at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the Federal Government had paid about 8,000 among them, remaining about 1,000 yet to be paid. The biometrics and data capturing of the former soldiers yet to be paid, according to sources, had been captured.

The civil war veterans, however, asked the Federal Government to pay their entitlements before they all died in poverty.

 Philips, who was supported at the press conference by other executive members in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, said many of their members have died of poverty in recent time, adding that since the Federal Government discharged them 44 years ago, its members have not received their entitlements from the government.

According to him, the Federal Government has compensated the Biafra soldiers, who fought against them, while affected civil war fighters, who are mainly from the North, South West and South South are struggling to survive.

“We are suffering. Many of us, who defended Nigeria nation during the civil war cannot boast of a house. We laid our lives to defend Nigeria. But see how they are paying us back. We have all the documents, which qualify us to be on pension board. If all our people died in poverty, God won’t forgive Nigerian leaders,” Phillips said. (Daily Sun: Excludes headline)