L-R: Colonel Benjamin Adekunle ‘Black Scorpion’, an unidentified officer, and renowned photojournalist Peter Obe riding through the creeks of Opobo in a canoe during the Nigerian Civil War, 1968.

L-R: Colonel Benjamin Adekunle ‘Black Scorpion’, an unidentified officer, and renowned photojournalist Peter Obe riding through the creeks of Opobo in a canoe during the Nigerian Civil War, 1968.

At the time, Colonel Adekunle was the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Nigerian Army. Recognizing the unique challenges of operating in the riverine terrain of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, he unilaterally rebranded the unit as the 3rd Marine Commando (3MCDO), a name that stuck and became legendary.

Under his dynamic and often controversial leadership, the division achieved significant military successes, including the capture of Bonny, Calabar, Port Harcourt, and other key strategic Biafran towns. The 3MCDO became the first amphibious combat unit in Nigerian military history, carrying out land, riverine, and swamp operations with remarkable tenacity.

Peter Obe, working for the Daily Times of Nigeria at that time, courageously documented the war from the frontlines, capturing some of the most enduring and haunting images of the conflict. This photograph remains one of the most iconic visual records of the Nigerian Civil War.