Neither side expected the war to drag on for so long.
After Ojukwu declared the Republic of Biafra on 30 May 1967, the Federal Government was satisfied with simply placing an embargo on the South-East, blocking shipping to and from the region.
Even when the situation escalated to war, both sides were reluctant to commit to a full-blown war.
In the weeks before, Ojukwu had famously warned that if the Federal government decided to object the secession of Biafra, it would find that the republic was more prepared than was expected.
Unfortunately, that insistence led to over two years of war and the deaths of about two million people.
