Elephants, the Grass and A Teacher

This book is a captivating rendition of Dr. Egbe's personal and family experiences during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). The book will equally go down as an audacious contribution to the historiography of the Nigerian civil war. Not to mention a crash program in military history. Here, his detailed rebuttal of Brigadier Alabi's claim that the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage was the first time elephants were used in battle, comes to mind.



Dr. Egbe presents several harrowing experiences and close calls with annihilation of his family. For example, after Dr. Egbe's siblings and their mother were tied up to be executed by Nigerian soldiers in May 1969, one of the soldiers discovered a photograph in which their dad was pictured with the battalion commander who had sent them to arrest the family. Dr. Egbe concludes that the leaders of Nigeria and Biafra learned little or no lessons from the tragedy.