History shows that Biafra existed in 14th century far before Nigeria

History shows that Biafra existed in 14th century far before Nigeria

The name Biafra came from Bight of Biafra. A Bight is a concave bend in a coastline, river or other geographical feature. When in 14th century, the Portuguese explorers saw the curved Atlantic coastline from the Atlantic Ocean tributary, they called it Bight of Biafra.

The Bight of Biafra, is the most eastern part of the Gulf of Guinea; it contains the islands Bioko (part of Equatorial Guinea), and São Tomé and Príncipe. The Bight of Biafra, spans modern-day Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

It was a primary hub during the transatlantic slave trade as it became of one of the largest embarkation points for enslaved Africans between the 1500s and 1800s. European traders exported over a million captive Africans, predominantly from the Igbo and Ibibio nations, to the Americas from the bight.

Following the abolition of the slave trade in the early 19th century, the region became a major palm oil exportation zone.

The name “Biafra” gained modern political significance when the Eastern Region of Nigeria, seceded on May 30, 1967 and named the new nation Biafra.. Led by Lt. Col. Ojukwu, the secession was triggered by escalating ethnic violence and mass**acres against Igbo people in northern Nigeria.

At the end of Nigeria Civil W**ar, the Nigerian federal government later renamed the body of water that comprises Bight of Biafra to Bight of Bonny. This was done in order to remove the geopolitical associations of the State of Biafra