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In this report by Sunday Telegraph, dated 23rd March 1969, the pilots flying vital relief into the beleaguered Biafran nation to help feed its starving population threatened to stop the airlifts because of a dangerous new move by the Nigerian air-force, in its attempts to stop the relief efforts.
With the Nigerian acquisition of MiG fighters from Russia in late 1967, it started to dominate and later won total dominance over the rival Biafran air force. But as this report shows, the Nigerian air force was now initiating night bombing raids against Biafran relief efforts for the first time and this was forcing relief flights to a halt.
As the Biafran war continued, both sides intensified their efforts to win or as with the Biafran case, to survive and hold ground. Part of the efforts included this aforementioned night raids by the Nigerians, the report claimed that they fired 9-minute phosphorus flares that allowed the night-sky and the famed Biafran Uli airport to be illuminated, thereby exposing both incoming relief flights and the ones discharging cargo on the ground.
Also Sao Tome where much of the Biafran relief flies in from, some 400 miles south of Biafra, reported that in addition to the night flares used by Nigeria, the Russians have a technical ship in the waters between the island nation and Biafra, it is suspected that this Russian vessel might be giving the Nigerians technical guidance about plane movements etc.
A similar report was also filed on the same day by the Observer and is included here for our readers.
This reports touches on the coming visit of the British Prime Minister, Mr Harold Wilson, to Nigeria and also mentions the pressure on Nigeria to win the war, it also reports of corruption by the Nigerian military and the fact that Britain had given Nigeria 50 million rounds of ammunition in 1968, with the Lagos government demanding a further 70 million rounds to finish the war.
Another small report talks about the British Prime minister’s safety, once he arrives in Nigeria.
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