On February 12, 1966, the first bullet of a rebellion was fired in Nigeria by a soldier who was a member of Niger Delta Volunteer Force led by one Isaac Daka Boro, a Major in the Nigerian Army.
Isaac Boro’s troops that was more than 1,000 men strong was out to free Niger Delta area from the yoke of Nigeria and become an independent country on its own. He was not happy with the decadence ravaging the Niger Delta area.
He was convinced that the bird that was laying the golden eggs that was giving Nigeria revenue for her development was never given a commensurate treatment and appreciation in terms of development projects that could benefit the people and raise their standard of living.. To Boro, this was annoying and must not be allowed to continue.
After his brilliant performance in secondary school, he became the president of the student union government at the University of Nigeria, Nsuka. That perhaps could be said to be the place whwere he cut his leadership teeth. At the time of this revolution, Nigeria was just about six years old as an independent nation. Nigeria severed her colonial umbilical cord from Britain, the mother country, on October 1st, 1960.
Isaac Boro who display streaks of leadership in his secondary school days, obtain the best school certificate result at Hussey College, Warri in 1957.
Ironically, a jackboot jaunta led by five majors’ failed coup was hijacked by Major-General Agui Ironsi who truncated the democratically elected government of the late Sir Tafawa Balewa. Thus, not only sacking the prime minister, but also the premiers, members of the houses of legislature at the federal and regional levels and, of course, suspended the 1962 Republican Constitution. The Niger Delta’s revolt was, to Major General Ironsi, who was the head of state, an affront and insult that must not be allowed to succeed.
Ironsi who had faced fire hostility on different battle grounds in Africa and other parts of the world, was literally boiling with anger as he resolved to quickly wipe out the Niger Delta Volunteer Force in the Niger Delta area to avoid diversion of focus on his agenda for the development of Nigeria.
Ironsi could not believe that a revolt in the army could come so soon after the first coup detat . It was nothing but balkanization of the country, which must be prevented. Named the Niger Delta Republic, it was a result of bold efforts of those could be called a rag tag army ready to confront the Nigerian army and succeed….Fínd Out Móre
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