The Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), on Thursday, called for an acknowledgement or apology from the Federal Government over the 1967 Asaba massacre.

He also appealed for greater federal presence in Delta State—particularly in Asaba, which he described as lacking critical infrastructure such as a federal university.

“Among other requests, we mentioned to him the massacre of Asaba people in 1967 and that our people need some apology if need be in that regard,” Azinge said after he led a delegation to visit President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

The Asaba massacre occurred on October 7, 1967, during the early stages of the Nigerian Civil War.

Federal troops, having recaptured Asaba from Biafran forces, reportedly gathered unarmed civilians who had come out to welcome them with a peace procession.

In a tragic turn of events, many of these civilians—men, women, and children—were allegedly shot and killed by soldiers under the mistaken belief that they were Biafran sympathisers.

The episode has been tagged one of the most harrowing chapters of the Civil War. Survivors and their families continue to seek acknowledgement and redress from successive administrations, stressing that public recognition of the atrocity would serve as a step toward healing old wounds.

Following his meeting with the President, the monarch appealed for greater federal presence in Asaba, which he described as lacking critical infrastructure such as a federal university.

“Asaba remains the only state capital in Nigeria without a federal university. We need institutions in our locality, and that for us is a major concern,” he stated.



https://punchng.com/asaba-monarch-visits-tinubu-demands-fgs-apology-for-1967-massacre/