The Nigerian Civil War did not arrive everywhere with gunfire. In many minority communities of the Eastern Region, it arrived quietly, through fear, scarcity, and accusation. As federal troops advanced and Biafran forces withdrew, everyday life in Efik, Ijaw, Ogoja, and Ibibio areas became increasingly unstable. Markets emptied. Young men were watched closely. Food supplies dwindled. Neutrality, once possible, ceased to offer protection.
By the latter part of 1967, large numbers of civilians were already leaving their homes. Their movement was not organised or announced. Families departed in stages, carrying what they could and abandoning what they could not. For many, the direction of travel was eastward, towards the Nigeria Cameroon border.
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Minorities Trapped Within the Conflict
Minority ethnic groups within the Eastern Region occupied a precarious position throughout the war. Within Biafra, they were often viewed with suspicion, particularly in areas where loyalty to the secessionist cause was assumed rather than negotiated. Communities were expected to contribute manpower, food, and logistical support despite widespread hardship.
At the same time, advancing federal forces did not distinguish between minority populations and areas seen as central to Biafran resistance. Military operations disrupted farming, transport, and local governance structures. For civilians, the conflict produced overlapping pressures rather than clear lines of safety.
As food shortages worsened and insecurity increased, departure became less a political act than a survival response.
Crossing a Border That Was Never Meant to Hold
The Nigeria Cameroon boundary offered an escape route shaped by history rather than policy. Drawn during the colonial period, the border cut across long established networks of kinship, trade, and migration. Communities on both sides had crossed it for generations with little regard for formal jurisdiction.
During the civil war, this porous and poorly defined border enabled significant civilian movement into South West Cameroon. Despite attempts at regulation, people continued to cross on foot, by canoe, and along forest paths. These were not planned refugee convoys. They were fragmented journeys marked by uncertainty and haste.
Many who crossed had no clear sense of whether the war would last months or years.
Cameroon’s Shifting Position
At the outset of the conflict, Cameroon under President Ahmadou Ahidjo declared neutrality. However, as the war continued and refugee numbers grew, official policy hardened. By late 1967, Cameroon closed its border and banned shipments of supplies to Biafra.
This decision was driven by more than immediate humanitarian concerns. The Cameroonian government was acutely aware of the political implications of secession in the region, particularly given tensions within its own Anglophone territories. Refugee movements were therefore monitored closely, and entry was increasingly restricted.
Despite these measures, civilians continued to cross, often settling informally in border areas.
Tensions in the Host Communities
The refugee influx placed strain on southern Cameroonian communities. Although many refugees were non Igbo minorities, Igbo people were also present, including individuals who had lived or traded in Cameroon before the war.
In towns and trading centres, resentment toward Nigerians had already developed over previous decades, shaped by their prominent role in commerce and urban life. These sentiments influenced how refugees were received, producing uneven acceptance alongside humanitarian concern.
Local reactions varied, but the presence of large displaced populations inevitably altered social and economic relationships.
Life in Exile
For most refugees, safety came without stability. Housing consisted largely of makeshift shelters, shared compounds, or temporary arrangements with host families. Food was scarce, and formal assistance was limited. Historical records indicate little evidence of sustained institutional support for refugees during this period.
Daily life revolved around survival. People waited for news from home, for shifts in policy, and for signs that return might be possible. Exile was not experienced as resettlement, but as suspension.
Return and Its Limits
When the war ended in January 1970, many refugees returned to Nigeria. Roads reopened. Borders relaxed. Yet return did not restore what had been lost. Years of displacement had altered communities on both sides of the border. Social ties were weakened. Economic patterns had shifted.
The experience revealed the particular vulnerability of minority populations during the conflict. Positioned between competing powers, they endured pressures that were neither incidental nor temporary.
By the time movement normalised, the border had already absorbed displacement, hunger, and fear, then quietly released people back into a country permanently reshaped by war.
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Author’s Note
This article documents how minority ethnic communities in Eastern Nigeria experienced the civil war through displacement rather than ideology. It traces their flight into Cameroon, the political anxieties that shaped Cameroonian responses, the hardships of exile, and the lasting social changes produced by forced migration during the conflict.
References
- Elizabeth Bird and Fraser Ottanelli, The Nigerian Civil War: Causes, Strategies, and Consequences.
- John de St. Jorre, The Nigerian Civil War.
- Tekena Tamuno, Nigeria and the Nigerian Civil War.
