The Biafra Story: Part Nine

"The Biafra Story: Part Nine"

As conditions in the fledgling Republic deteriorated, virtually every able-bodied male in Biafra voluntarily enlisted for military service. During the late years of the war, children as young as eleven years were briefly trained and given arms to fight what was believed to be a struggle for their very existence.

Marriages were hurriedly arranged between adolescents. Young males were encouraged to impregnate their young 'wives' before leaving for the front, so as to provide their families with heirs in case of their death; since the Igbo generally consider it abominable for males to die without offspring. As males left for the front, females occupied their vacated civilian positions as police officers, civil servants, and clerks.

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