Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation OAU

Operation OAU was a campaign fought in 1968 at Aba, in what is now Nigeria. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Aba. It was part of the Nigerian Civil War, which ran from 1967 to 1970. The recorded result: Biafran victory. Recorded strength: 35,000 against 10,000–20,000.

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Fought1968
WhereAba, Nigeria5.117N, 7.367E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeBiafran victory
BelligerentsNigeriaagainstBiafra
Casualties and losses21,500andUnknown but heavy
Part ofNigerian Civil War1967 to 1970

Where it sits in the Nigerian Civil War

Operation UNICORD, 1967Midwest Invasion of 1967, 1967Fall of Enugu, 1967First Invasion of Onitsha, 1967Operation Tiger Claw, 1967Second Invasion of Onitsha, 1968Invasion of Port Harcourt, 1968Operation OAU, 1968Siege of Owerri, 1968Operation Hiroshima, 1968Operation Leopard, 1969Invasion of Umuahia, 1969Operation Tail-Wind, 197019671970Operation OAU, 1968
13 placed engagements of the Nigerian Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1968 (year precision)
to 1968
PlaceAba, Nigeria
5.117N, 7.367E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Strength35,00010,000–20,000
Casualties and losses21,500Unknown but heavy
Commanders
  • Benjamin Adekunle
  • Mohammed Shuwa
Operation OAUOperation OAUBattle of NsanakongBattle of NsanakongPort HarcourtWarriAwkaCalabarOnitshaOpoboOrluUmuahia100 km5.117N, 7.367E
Placed at Aba; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1968

Operation OAU is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 27 in present-day Nigeria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7097347, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation OAU, revision 1370694027, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.