BIAFRA The weather was humid, the road was rough when we got to Ikot Ekpene, Michael my escort and host informed me that the villagers will be trooping out to welcome us that I should be free to them. I was in Ghana when Michael called me that if I am coming to Nigeria that I should come to Lagos first because he will want me to meet someone, I obliged him but told him to come and pick me up at Lagos international airport, I boarded Nigeria Airways and we landed in Lagos in the afternoon around 1:30-2pm. Mr Mike as I use to call him was at the arrival hall waiting for me with one fair in complexion young man boy name Braindan, they hugged me and were excited to see me. On entering their car, Michael said, boy, I thought you will disappoint me this time, and if you had not come, intact let me not say what I planned to do, by the way, how is Ghana and was your stay pleasant? I responded by saying yaah everything went well. He drove to Apapa and branched to Tamandu barracks where Mr Braindang resides. We all alighted from the car, Braindang pointed to a building saying Sir; this is my humble abode my families are not here I took them home last week. We entered the house; Mr Mike took a seat while Braindan ushered me a seat also, left two of us and came into a room, shortly after he returned with a bottle brandy, Malta and a bottle of small stout beer.
I collected the Maltex took a sip relaxed for a while and asked Mr Mike why he asks me to come to Lagos first before going to Enugu, he adjusted his belt, removed his shoes and said it is because of Braindan, he is a naval officer newly posted to Apapa, he looks healthy but very sick, I want you and me to join hand and pray for him, we did it for my wife, my father and my sister and all of them are healthy, I believe that God answers us each time we pray together. I stood up immediately, and we joined our hands as usual, and I led the prayers. When we finished, Mike said please can you follow me to by village Uyo my father is longing to see the man who prayed for the whole family and God answered him I said OK but you have few things to fix in Enugu, return to Ghana and come back to Lagos for the journey by October. I left Lagos to Enugu and from there I returned to Ghana, it was in August 1999). Three Months later I came back to Lagos and visited Mike in his house at air force base Ikeja, and there he broke the news that Braindan died about three weeks back, from Mike's house we set out to Uyo by public luxurious bus which took a whole day journey before we arrive Uyo by 7:30pm villagers grouped out despite the fact that it is getting dark. His father by the name Christopher Udoh came to welcome us in the morning the following day, after breakfast, he took us to where they buried Braindan, grasses have already overgrown his grave, we returned to Mike house after that. I told Mike's father that my dad was a friend of former inspector general of police Mr Etim Inyang that I have a message for him from my dad, which means you will go to ORON? I said yes, he not today you guys need rest and I have to invite some of my relations, friends of this family and some elders of this village to thank you for your prayers and appreciate God for healing me, Mike's wife and my daughter Ikaite, I don't have much money for a Thanksgiving in our church I will do everything here in my home, by the way, which part of Biafra did you come from? I said Enugu state; he then said former Biafran government headquarters,
I am a Sargent in Biafran army, one of them was captain Kish he was part of the team in charge of release materials, he was helping some soldiers from (Ibibiona) I don't know if the spelling is correct, with extra ration of food when I met him, he is from Affa in Udi local government, a very big town, we followed him to his town once, I immediately took a glance at Mike and smiled, Mike then asked why I am smiling , the soldier your father had just described is my dad, he said are you sure I said yes, he then went to his father and told him all that I said to him, his father doubted, but when he came he said please young man repeat what you told my son,
I then repeated what I told Mike, his father then said, we did not call him captain Kish I am the only one calling him by that name, but there is a general name which all Biafran army command units call him, and that is CAPTAIN KC. I have told you about Kish, now what did C represent? I then said Chiagoro he shouted and jumped upon me, held me so tight and said God of Biafra!! you are the son of Captain KC this a miracle no wonder your prayers was working in my family, where is my captain? I then said at home in the village, his seeming had attracted other families who now assembled to the reason for such a loud screaming and shouting, he left us, when into his room and brought out a sword, jack knife, military feeding bottle, a Biafran badge, a seal and a torn Biafran military combat uniform and that everybody should stand up, we all stood up he then walked towards a tree we call in Igbo Ogirishi standing next to an old but not too tall Iroko tree, stood at attention, raised the long sword towards heaven three times with his right hand, lower the sword still standing at attention and sang Biafran national anthem, turned back facing us but walked towards me and pinned the sword on the ground and said with a loud voice,
I SALUTE THE COURAGE AND BRAVERY OF YOUR FATHER CAPTAIN KC, WITHOUT HIM, MANY OF OUR BOYS FROM THIS PART OF BIAFRA WOULD HAVE DIED IN BATTLE, GIVE HIM MY SALUTE AND TELL HIM THAT I WILL TRY MY BEST TO COME TO AFFA AND SEE HIM, TELL HIM THAT I AM HUMBLED BY THE PRESENCE OF HIS SON IN MY FAMILY THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
Everybody clapped. After that, drinks and the food was served to all those who were present. Later they took me to another town they called Etinam, from there we went to see the former inspector general of police in his hometown Oron. Unfortunately, we couldn't meet him as we were told that he travelled to Cameroon for treatment. We came back to Uyo, and I stayed two more days before returning to Enugu. AKWA-IBOM is in Biafraland, and they do not need anybody to preach Biafra to them, they are the ones to teach Biafra to others. Many revelations about the war Mike's father told us, time may not permit me to put them down here.
ALL HAIL BIAFRA.
By Benjamin Kish.
Editor Udeagha Obasi
UmuChiukwu Writers
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