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Former Nigerian soldier and Commander of the defunct Biafran Army, Major-Gen. Alexander Attah Madiebo (retd), died on June 3, 2022 at the age of 90. Madiebo, who attended Government College, Umuahia, joined the Nigerian Army as Officer Cadet in 1954. He was trained at the Regular Officers’ Special Training School (ROSTS), in Teshie, Ghana; Eton Hall Officer Cadet School in Chester, England as well as the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberly, England.
Madiebo was commissioned into the Nigerian army Artillery as a Second Lieutenant in December, 1956. He was made the first indigenous commander of the Artillery Regiment in 1964.He participated in the United Nations peacekeeping force deployed to Congo during the Congo crisis. He was the Troop Commander of the Reconnaissance Squadron in the Cameroon uprising. At the beginning of the Nigerian/Biafran war, he first commanded the Biafra’s 51 Brigade for two months and later became the commander of the Biafran Army from September 1967 till the end of the war in 1970. The late army general hailed from Umuokpu in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Madiebo was one of the most respected Biafran military commanders. He was probably the last of the titans to leave the stage. His demise was preceded by that of the deputy to Biafran leader, Major-Gen. Philip Efiong, in 2003 and the former Biafran leader, Gen. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in 2011. Major-Gen. Madiebo was a courageous soldier, military tactician and strategist who put his all in the defence of his people. His exploits during the Nigerian civil war are legendary. He was renowned for his war tactics and deft planning in manoeuvering the enemy with minimal resources.
His memoir on the Biafran war, The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran War, published in 1980, is generally adjudged as one of the best historical accounts of the war from the point of view of a combatant participant. The book is a credible source material for historians, creative writers, scholars and other researchers on the Nigeria/Biafra war. On his motivation to write the war memoir, Madiebo stated, among others, that “most important of all is that those who made up Biafra and the rest of mankind may like to read authentic eye-witness accounts and inside stories of how Biafra fought a war with virtually nothing and yet survived for almost three years, under a total blockade and complete isolation from the rest of the world.”
He further explained that “for Biafrans, such an account becomes vital if they are to appreciate fully their extraordinary courage and achievements, as well as their sad mistakes during that war which they had to fight.” Madiebo was an accomplished war general and an astute manager of men and resources. His commitment to the Biafran struggle was not in doubt. He was an exemplary military leader.
Unlike other commanders, who fell out with the Biafran leadership, he kept faith till the end. Madiebo will be remembered for his heroic roles in Nigeria and in Biafra, as well as his patriotic contributions to post-war Nigeria. With an ill-equipped army, he was able to defend and keep the young republic for almost three years.
It is regrettable that he died at a time when his wise counsel will be needed most. He will be missed by his friends and numerous admirers. Considering his numerous contributions to nation-building, we urge the government to immortalise him. Anambra State government should name a street in Awka after him as a way of documenting that vital aspect of our past that some government officials erroneously wish to gloss over.
We commiserate with the family, government and people of Anambra State, the military and Nigerian government over the irreparable loss. May God grant him eternal repose.
