Sunday, July 23rd, 1967.

Footage of the Biafran leader, former Nigerian Army Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, claiming at a news conference in Enugu that mercenaries were being used by the federal side in its fight against the breakaway state.

TRANSCRIPT:

"A number of mercenaries -we presume they are- have been sighted. A number have been killed. In fact, in the Enugu hospital, I'm told there are mercenary dead bodies on display and have been photographed by my ministry of information. There certainly have been a number of mercenaries from the reports from the troops from the front. I am assured that most of their assaults are led by mercenaries and that their armoured vehicles that they have been using to some effect, have been driven by mercenaries. I'm told that one off them was roasted in one of those armoured vehicles when it was knocked out. I am trying as hard as possible to get a mercenary captured alive for public display."

Source: Reuters News.

Note:

Ojukwu's claim was not substantiated and the Biafran side did not capture alive or display the bodies of any (Western) mercenaries. The Biafrans did attract foreign mercenaries such as Rolf Steiner and Taffy Williams while the Nigerians used Egyptian pilots on bombing raids.

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