Former Nigerian Military Head of State, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, has shared a harrowing experience from the Nigerian Civil War. In his newly launched book, “A Journey in Service,” Babangida recounts how a Biafran “Ogbunigwe” shell nearly took his life during a fierce battle on March 27, 1969.

Babangida, then a Major, was commanding the 82 Battalion, which came under heavy bombardment from Biafran forces while trying to capture Umuahia. Despite the Nigerian troops’ aggressive response, the Biafran artillery continued to bombard them. It was during this intense fighting that Babangida was wounded by shrapnel from an Ogbunigwe shell, which landed on the left side of his chest and narrowly missed affecting his lung.

Babangida recalls the incident in vivid detail, describing how he initially didn’t realise he had been hit due to the intensity of the firefight. He only felt the pain when he grabbed his chest and felt blood oozing out. Despite the severity of his injury, Babangida remained alert and conscious throughout his evacuation to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

This personal account offers a glimpse into the brutal realities of the Nigerian Civil War and highlights Babangida’s fortunate survival.