By Emeka Alex Duru
Admired by the youth for his revolutionary fervor even at old age, dreaded by foes for his ferocious attacks and loathed by contemporaries for overzealous approach to duty, Chief Joseph “Hannibal” Achuzia, was an enigma of sort.
Born 89 years ago, Achuzia remained standing on his feet, fighting against injustice on his people, the Igbo, and other vulnerable Nigerians, till he breathed last on Monday, February 26, 2018.
As Generals of the old order – and he was indeed one, though bent by age and years of ceaseless encounters in the search for equitable system, he carried on with unusual carriage, in fact, living up to his adopted name, Hannibal, the fabled Carthaginian military tactician, who, according to legends, chose to die in the battle field fighting against Roman imperialism, to surrendering or being taken prisoner of war.
In what seemed a striking coincidence, Achuzia died, smiling, according to family sources.
Stories are still being told of Achuzia’s exploits in the 1967 – 1970 Civil War, when, though without previous military experience, he gave a resounding account of himself in series of blistering campaigns that even caught experienced commissioned officers of the Nigerian troops, flat footed.
The resistance of his Biafran 11th Battalion against Nigerian 2nd Division over the latter’s attempt at taking Onitsha, in the early days of the war, remains a study in determination and bravery.
His comrades-in-arms, especially the younger ones, attributed Achuzia’s closeness with the Biafran Head of State, Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, to his unyielding determination in the battle fields – a feat that earned him the rank of a General, to the comfiture of his better trained and commissioned colleagues.
A fellow combatant, Onwuegbu Ihejirika, who claimed to have been with Achuzia in the Biafarn days, told our reporter that the deceased really merited the sobriquet, “Air Raid”, stressing that it was his lightning and surprising attacks at the enemies that earned him the name.
“What he did at the battle fronts were quite amazing. Even when those of us who worked under him thought that it was all over, he would spring surprises that left the federal forces bloodied. His precise attacks on target and naked bravery even in the face of all odds, spoke a lot about him. These were reasons why he was named Air Raid.
“His mates were not too comfortable with him. Some accused him of trying to please the General (Ojukwu). I cannot say anything about that. But I know he was a man of courage. He vowed to fight to the last. We shall miss him, greatly”, the 82-year old Ihejirika, told TheNiche on hearing the demise of the famed Hannibal.
In a way, Achuzia fought to the end, crowning the efforts with being part of the delegation that negotiated the instruments and terms of surrender with the federal forces, in 1970.
The apparent loss of the Biafran enterprise did not deter him from seeking the best for his Igbo society. And in the exercise, he never dithered in taking a principled position.
This, explained why, while some of his fellow Igbo elite, prevaricated on their stand on Indigenous Peoples of Biafra independence agenda, he threw his weight behind the issue, explaining the agitation on the failure of the Nigerian government to keep to the conditions agreed at the cessation of the civil war in 1970.
He however advised the IPOB activists against violence in going about the agenda.
Achuzia, a British-trained Aeronautic Engineer and one-time Secretary General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, died on Monday (February 26), at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Delta State, after a brief illness, according to media reports.
He was traditional title holder of Ikemba of Asaba till his death.
Former Ohanaeze President General, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, could not gather himself to comment on the fallen hero. He simply told our reporter that he lacked words to express his feelings at the shocking news. But he was really sad at the development, like many other Nigerians.
Achuzia was born in 1929.
