Ojukwu flown to a hospital in United Kingdom

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the fiery former Biafran leader who has been on admission at the intensive care unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, after suffering a stroke, has been moved out of Enugu to an undisclosed hospital in the United Kingdom.

The ambulance conveying him left the teaching hospital at 11am yesterday.

Anxiety all round

The movement of Mr Ojukwu from the hospital was supervised by Victor Umeh, chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) which is the party formed by the ailing Igbo leader. Also involved in the process was Mr Ojukwu's wife, Bianca and his son, Emeka Ojukwu Jnr, a former commissioner in Anambra State.

Mr Umeh who refused to disclose the hospital that the former leader was being flown to said, ``All we want to let you newsmen know at this point is that the leader is being flown abroad for medical treatment.''

The APGA chairman who looked ruffled, ordered staff of the teaching hospital and others who came to witness the evacuation of the national leader of APGA off the route that the ambulance will take.

A warrior

Mr Ojukwu was born on November 4, 1933 in Zungeru, Niger State to Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu.

He had his early education in Lagos, before he left the country at 13 for the United Kingdom to study at Epsom College, England. He left Epsom at 18 for Lincoln College, Oxford.

At Oxford University, he obtained a bachelor's degree in modern history. He returned to Nigeria in 1956.

He later earned a masters degree in history at Lincoln College, Oxford University. Mr. Ojukwu joined the Eastern Nigeria Civil Service as an Administrative Officer at Udi.

In 1957, within months of working with the colonial civil service, he left to join the Army as one of the few university graduates taken as a recruit.

He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and became the military governor of the then Eastern Nigeria until he announced the secession of Biafra from Nigeria.

A civil war broke out during which he installed himself as head of state of the People's Army. The war lasted for two and half years, ending on January 12, 1970. He went on self exile in Cote d' Ivoire until he was pardoned by former President Shehu Shagari.

Source:234next