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List of equipment manufactured by Biafra during the civil war

The Biafra war started in the early hours of July 06, 1967, and ended on January 15, 1970. This war happened between the Igbos and Nigeria. Biafrans manufactured munitions to aid them in the civil war. Below is the list of the equipment:

Ogbunigwe

 This can be interpreted in English as a mass killer. It is also called Ojukwu Bucket. It contains a series of weapons like command detonation mines, explosive devices, and propelled missiles. This particular weapon was designed by Seth Nwanagu, Sylvester Akalonu, Gordian Ezekwe, Benjamin Nwosu, Willy Achukwu, Nath Okpala, and other people. It was manufactured in September 1967. The firing range of Ogbunigwe is 8,000 meters and it weighs between 5kg and 500kg. It can easily wipe out a group of enemy troops. One version was designed based on the air burst principle and this destabilized the plane through the shock wave effect.

It was the most effective of Biafran weapons and the Nigerian army could not get a march to it. It came in diverse types like Flying Ogbunigwe, Foot Cutter Ogbunigwe, Bucket Ogbunigwe, Coffin Box Ogbunigwe, and Beer Ogbunigwe. 

Biafran Grenade Launcher

This was built to aid in launching the great Ogbunigwe during the war. Without Grenade Launcher, Ogbunigwe will not be able to function effectively.

Biafran Mobile Artillery Machine

This can also be called locomotive artillery. It has a propulsion system that helps it to move to its firing location. It is used for indirect firing support from a far distance. It helps in moving the armour to the battlefield. When the opponents are far off, it launches their attack from a very far distance.

The mobile artillery machine works by firing projectiles at targets. When the projectile hits its target, it explodes and releases shrapnel. Shrapnel is pieces of metal that fly outwards after the explosion. These pieces of metal then hit nearby objects and cause damage.

Biafran Armoured Personnel Troop Carrier

This was used to carry Biafran soldiers to the battlefront when the war was going on. They did not have to go in their cars as these were equipped to give them protection during the war.

Biafran Armoured Car

This particular armoured car was equipped with elevated-powered machine guns during the war. 

Biafran Red Devils

 These were the armoured vehicles built by the Biafrans during the war; because of the way they operate, they are called red devils. It is about four types, type A, B, C, and D.

Biafran Made Armoured Tank

This tank was solely for storing anti-tank guns and it can rotate 360 degrees.

The Biafran Bomber Aircraft

This is aircraft converted into a bomber fighter jet by Biafran engineers and experts.

Biafran Refinery

This was constructed by the Biafrans to refine crude oil and through it, oil, diesel, kerosene, petrol, and aviation fuel were gotten. With this, the lack of kerosene and other resources was averted.

At the outbreak of the war, Biafrans were not properly armed like the Nigerian army which had a lot of arms and ammunition. This imbalance pushed the Biafrans into setting up a team that researched and came up with the listed equipment.

Chinonye Ikebaku

This article was written by Chinonye Ikebuaku.