Grammy-winning director explores his Nigerian grandfather's role in the Biafran war

Meji Alabi directed a new documentary on Nigeria's civil war. The documentary, *Surviving Biafra: Voices from the Nigerian Civil War*, produced by BBC Africa Eye, includes previously unseen footage taken on the front line of the war that lasted from 1967 until 1970. Meji Alabi said, "It was very much an eye-opener for me. I just grew up not knowing much about the war at all, or who was fighting who."

The conflict, also known as the Biafran war, began after a series of military coups and months of massacres against Igbo people living in the north in Nigeria. Around a million Igbos then returned to their traditional home region in the south-east of the country, where three states broke away to form the independent Republic of Biafra. It is estimated that between 500,000 and three million people died. For more than a decade before September 2025, history was not formally part of Nigeria's national school curriculum.

Leke Alabi-Isama and his 23 siblings grew up hearing war stories from their dad, Godwin Alabi-Isama, who served as chief of staff to Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle of the 3 Marine Commando during the conflict. Leke said, "It's still not fully covered, you know, the extent of the suffering. And I think, for me, Nigeria is just scared to confront its own truth."