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Witness recounts childhood starvation during 1960s Nigerian civil war
Summary
A witness described childhood hunger during a 1960s conflict in Nigeria, saying starvation was used as a tactic of war and recalling being sent to catch lizards for food; relief agencies later arrived and the witness now shares the story with youth as a message of resilience.
A witness who said they survived conflict in Nigeria as a child described extreme food shortages during the 1960s, saying starvation was deliberately used as a tactic and recalling how their mother sent her children out to try to find food.
"War is something that no child should experience," the witness said, adding that at the time "there was no food" and "part of the politics of war at that time was, use of, starvation as an instrument of war." The witness described being told by their mother to look for lizards because "they were nutritious," and said they returned home crying after failing to catch any.
The witness said the family survived in part because parents often went without food to feed their children and, later, because the government allowed relief agencies to enter and provide assistance. The witness said they now tell the story to young people to illustrate resilience and possibility.
The account appears in a short recorded exchange in which a questioner asked the witness to explain how they and their family were affected during the conflict in Nigeria in the 1960s. The interview includes first-person recollections of hunger, parental sacrifice, and the later arrival of aid.
