Naval Encounters of the Nigerian Civil War: Biafra’s Brown-Water Navy and Federal Responses

Abstract

The Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) has been examined primarily through its land and air campaigns, leaving its maritime dimension comparatively neglected. This article reconstructs the development, operations, and limitations of the Biafran navy, situating it within Federal maritime strategy and amphibious warfare. Drawing on archival material, memoirs, and triangulated sources, it analyses how foreign mercenaries helped fashion a makeshift brown-water force that conducted limited riverine raids but failed to challenge Federal naval superiority. By treating naval operations as a coherent operational theatre, the article repositions maritime power as a structurally significant, if ultimately asymmetrical, element in the war’s trajectory.