Asaba Memorial Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Bird, S. Elizabeth; Ottanelli, Fraser
Publication Date
8-18-2010
Date
2009-12-14
Abstract
Oral history interview with Patrick Obielue, a survivor of the Asaba Massacre, a mass killing of civilians which occurred in 1967 as part of the Nigerian Civil War. Obielue, who was a schoolboy when the massacre took place, fled the town with his family when the Nigerian soldiers entered the city. They hid in the bush for several days before he and some other children returned. Obielue helped dig the mass grave in which many of the bodies were buried. In 1968 the soldiers returned to Asaba and sent the citizens to a refugee camp at a local school, where they stayed for two months. Several young men were forced to dig graves, then shot and pushed into the graves, which Obielue saw happen at least three times. Although the soldiers killed the men and raped the women, Obielue and the other boys were able to talk with them without incident. Obielue has lived in Asaba for his entire life, and although he supports a memorial cenotaph or building, he is not in favor of exhuming the bodies.
Keywords
Massacres--Nigeria, Crimes against humanity, History--Nigeria--Civil War, 1967-1970, History--Nigeria--Civil War, 1967-1970--Personal narratives, Asaba (Nigeria)
Subject: geographic
Nigeria; Asaba (Nigeria); Nigeria; Nigeria
Holding Location
University of South Florida
Language
English
Media Type
Oral histories; Online audio
Format
audio/mp3
Identifier
A34-00015
Recommended Citation
Obielue, Patrick, "Patrick Obielue oral history interview" (2010). Asaba Memorial Oral History Project. 5.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/asaba/5
Rights Statement
