In a recent reflection on Nigeria’s civil war, former President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed regret that Nigerian troops ever had to engage Biafran forces. Speaking in Abeokuta on May 11, 2026, he recalled his time as a commander during the 1967–1970 conflict and stressed that civil wars are fundamentally different from external wars because the aim must be peace, not destruction.
Obasanjo noted that both Nigerian and Biafran soldiers were citizens of the same nation, which made the fighting emotionally wrenching for everyone involved. “We shouldn’t have fought ourselves,” he stated. “Civil war is unlike battling an external enemy because you end up fighting your own brothers.”
The former leader emphasized that the hard lessons from the war should inspire Nigerians to champion peace, dialogue, and unity to avert any future national conflict. He urged the country to prioritize reconciliation over division.