ASABA, Delta State (Anioma), a beautiful city in Igbo land

Asaba, is the capital city of Delta state, southern Nigeria. It lies on the west bank of the Niger River (opposite Onitsha). It is a market center for (cassava, yams, palm oil and kernels, kola nuts) and inhabited by Anioma clan of the Igbo (Ibo) people. Between 1886 to 1900 it served as the administrative headquarters of Southern Nigeria governed through the Royal Niger Company. The city is accessible by air through the Asaba International airport. The Asaba Massacre: In October 1967, the Hausa-Fulani dominated Nigerian troops invaded Asaba and began ransacking houses and killing civilians, claiming they were Biafran sympathizers. Notwithstanding Asaba was located in the Mid-Western region (Nigeria territory) which was not part of the Eastern region that seceded as Republic of Biafra. On October 7, 1967 the leaders of Asaba were instructed by the Nigerian troops to assemble the people of the community to officially welcome the Nigerian troops to prove their loyalty to Nigeria in order to stop the random killings going on in the community. About 3,000 men, women and children responded to the leaders appeal to assemble at the community square at "Ogbe-Osowa village" to welcome Nigerian troops led by Col Murtala Rufai Ramat Muhammed. During the welcoming ceremony, the Nigerian troops suddenly opened fire with heavy machine guns on the villagers and massacred them. Till date, no Nigerian military officer was ever tried or punished for the heinous crimes against humanity committed in Asaba. Col Murtala Ramat Muhammed later became a Nigerian President through a military coup d'etat. A memorial was built by Asaba people to honor those innocent men, women and children savagely slaughtered by the Nigerian troops in October 1967. A book by Elizabeth Bird and Fraser Ottanelli, supported by a Collaborative Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies documented the history & legacy of Asaba massacre (http://asabamemorial.org/data/AsabaMa.... Travel Details Citizens of ECOWAS countries do not require a visa to visit Asaba, Nigeria. Check here ( https://portal.immigration.gov.ng/vis... ) to see if you need a visa to visit Nigeria and how you can apply for your Nigerian visa online from your country. You can also opt for the "VISA ON ARRIVAL" program especially if Nigerian embassy does not exist in your country. If you are visiting from West Africa, it will be easier to use the Nigerian airlines Air Peace (https://www.flyairpeace.com/) or Arik Air (http://www.arikair.com) or Aero Contractors (http://www.flyaero.com/) to Asaba International airport and then pickup an airport taxi to your hotel. For Non-West Africans, once your Nigerian visa is issued, one of the best ways to visit Asaba for vacation is through contacting a 4 or 5 star hotel in the Asaba to book a hotel reservation. Book your reservation on hotel website or use Expedia (http://www.expedia.com ) to get the best deals and make sure to read reviews from verified customers before deciding where to spend your vacation. Do not pay for your online reservation. Also call the hotel and ask for airport pickup & drop off shuttle services from Asaba airport, and use the option "Pay at the hotel". Some hotels do charge extra for the airport shuttle services. It is always better to have the hotel pick you up at the airport. Alternatively, you can pick up an airport taxi at the airport to take you to your hotel. If you are coming from countries outside West Africa, book your trip to PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria on LUFTHANSA Airlines via PORT HARCOURT (https://www.lufthansa.com ) from almost every major airport on earth. Once you land at PORT HARCOURT, use a registered airport Taxi to your Hotel in Onitsha or Asaba.