3 and 4 of 8 historical photos of Nigeria And The Story Behind them

3) Igbo soldier during the Nigerian Civil War, (November, 1968)

The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, 6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970, was a war fought to counter the secession of Biafra from Nigeria.


Biafra represented nationalist aspirations of the Igbo people, whose leadership felt they could no longer coexist with the Northern-dominated federal government. The conflict resulted from political, economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions which preceded Britain's formal decolonization of Nigeria from 1960–1963.

Immediate causes of the war in 1966 included a military coup, a counter-coup, and persecution of Igbo living in Northern Nigeria. Control over oil production in the Niger Delta played a vital strategic role.

Within a year, the Federal Military Government surrounded Biafra, capturing coastal oil facilities and the city of Port Harcourt. The blockade imposed during the ensuing stalemate led to severe famine—accomplished deliberately as a war strategy. Over the two and half years of the war, about two million civilians died from starvation and diseases



4) Entrance to the Emir of Zarias Palace in Kaduna (1973)

Zaria is a major city in Kaduna State in Northern Nigeria, as well as being a Local Government Area. Formerly known as Zazzau, it was one of the original seven Hausa city-states, namely:

Zamfara 
Kebbi
Yauri
Gwari
Kwararafa
Nupe
Ilorin

The Emirate of Zaria, illustrated the role of a traditional African ruler.  At the palace gates, bodyguards stood watch, resplendent in colors reserved for their office: crimson turbans and robes of red and blue.  

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