The Ojukwu Bunker

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Located in Umuahia, Abia the Ojukwu bunker also known as the Biafra bunker, served as the office for the Biafra government during the Nigerian Civil War and today as a museum for tourists all around the world. The premises owned by Chief Michael Okpara was donated to the Biafran government and the bunker was built in 1968 after the fall of Enugu, the military conflict between Nigerian and Biafran forces. War was inevitable when the eastern Nigerian region declared they were seceding from the country to become the independent state of Biafra, with Enugu as its capital. After having to evacuate Enugu, because of attack, the Biafran troops and their Governor, Lieutenant Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu moved to Umuahia where they would use the bunker as a safehouse and hideout to strategize for the war. They would stay there until it became obvious the war was lost. Ojukwu left the country and handed over power, but today the state house and bunker remain standing.1

Constructed for the war, the bunker was made bomb proof and sits underground about twenty-seven feet deep. After the war, the Nigerian government took over the building and it is now a national monument and part of the National War Museum Annex, ran and managed by the federal government. Today people can visit the bunker and take a tour where you will be able to experience the bunker for yourself. You will start in the Baifra State House where you can view different pictures of various things such as leaders of the Biafran cabinet, scenes from battle, military actions and even war victims or captives. Behind the state house is where the bunker lies. After taking the eight meter walk down the stairs into the bunker, you will be able to find more pictures of important Biafra figures and get an in person view of the set up inside the bunker, getting a feel for what it would have been like to be stationed down there. The Ojukwu bunker was made with various facilities such as a conference room, parlor, bedroom, kitchen, store, bathroom, toilet and a cell where prisoners of war were kept. There are also holes for ventilation with large pipes running from above the bunker to keep it cool inside. The structural design by Dr. Chuba Agbim and construction done by engineer Joel Onyemelukwe was finished in under 90 days. At the end of your tour through the bunker you will be able to leave by carefully climbing out of the escape route that leads from the bottom of the bunker back to ground.2

It is clear by the use of an underground bunker with built in facilities for a stay, the Biafran troops lead by their military officer Odumegwu Ojukwu had no plans of giving up resistance to the federal government. They had separate rooms for conferences and general living spaces, meaning they were prepared to stay for lengthy periods of time if needed. The Ojukwu bunker and Biafra state house symbolizes the resiliency of the people in the area who went through the Civil War and especially that of Ojukwu and the Biafra army. This monument is an exciting way to bring attention to the history in Umuahia regarding the Biafra government and Odumegwu Ojukwu, by giving people a chance at an in-person experience.