
“NOT FOR ME, NOT FOR MY BOYS”.
REMEMBERING ANIOMA’S JOSEPH “HANNIBAL” ACHUZIA
Only the adults who experienced the Nigerian Civil War would recall “Not for me, not for my boys”, the mystic saying of Col Achuzia the moment bullets came near him. Once uttered, the very cool silent breeze would blow the bullets away and he trudged on.
During the Nigerian Civil War, the Anioma people provided both the Biafran and Nigerian sides with respected soldiers who are unforgettable at least in history. While there was Brigadier-General Alabi-Isama on the other side, who together with Black Scorpion Benjamin Adekunle helped to end the war, enigmatic Col Joe Achuzia was on the Biafran side to give them his military best.
Col Joe Hannibal Achuzia, later Asaba High Chief is remembered for two warfront developments. The first is that he dealt a great blow to Gen Murtala Muhammed’s military ambition, causing him to lose respect I before the international community. The second was the mystery that he carried with him; a secret which was unknown even to his colleagues.
When the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army led by Murtala arrived at the Asaba end of the River Niger and made strategic threats to move into Onitsha down to Awka to inflict terrible blows on Biafran territory, Achuzia led the 11th Division of the Biafran Army to stand on the other end and they successfully dashed the hope of Murtala, causing his troop to sustain serious casualties.
This happened twice so the disappointed Nigerian Government withdrew Murtala and replaced him. Murtala’s recall confirmed him to be well-trained but ill-experienced militarily, having wasted enormous human lives as well as expensive military wares under his control, all of which he said hopelessly.
The second of what is known or unknown of Col Achuzia was the mystery associated with his victories on the waterfront. As stories have it; once pushing the battle, and enemies were shooting to get them to retreat, Hannibal Achuzia would move back and forth his hands to continually wave off the bullets past himself and his boys as he mystically muttered “Not for me, not for my boys”. This caused them to advance.
He died in Asaba, his hometown on February 26, 2018. Achuzia is one of Anioma’s heroes.