NEWS & REPORT

Ex-Biafran leader, Emeka Ojukwu, is dead

It has just been confirmed that Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu died in London in the early hours of later after a long illness in a hospital in the UK.

One of the most charismatic figures in Nigeria’s history, Mr. Ojukwu, who held the traditional title of Ikemba Nnewi, came to international prominence when he served as leader of the secessionist Biafra during a bloody civil war in Nigeria from 1967 to 1970.

An Oxford-educated historian, he became the face and voice of the doomed struggle by Nigerians from south-eastern Nigeria to achieve national self-rule.

A source within the family told Saharareporters that Ikemba Nnewi died in the UK after months of hospitalization to treat the effects of a serious stroke he had suffered late last year.

The late Ojukwu was married to Bianca Ojukwu (nee Onoh), an ex-beauty queen in Nigeria. He is survived by numerous children, including Emeka Odumegwu, Jr. and Okigbo Ojukwu, who is based in London.

Mr. Emeka Ojukwu, Jr. has issued a statement confirming his father’s death.