Hunger caused a lot of death in civil war than bullet- 106 year-old, Gombe war veteran 

Pa Mele Wamlara Ture,  World War II and Civil War Veteran shares his life and times with Chima Azubuike, on his survival traits, longevity.

Where and when were you born? I was born in Ture, the present day Kaltungo local government area of Gombe State in the year 1915. I was born when our people were settled on the rock where our people migrated to due to the war.

How did you know your birth date? There were some of my mates whose parents were highly educated. For instance the former district head of Ture his elder brother was a clergy man. The family received Christianity early enough so they were enlightened enough because they were my contemporaries. So they told me. Normally, we used to use the last month of the year (December) and the last day of the month. Most of the time, we use seasons to describe the date, maybe a natural occurence to tell.

Who were your parents? My father’s name was Wamlara and my mother’s name was Kalo. They were both peasant farmers.

What was your childhood like? My childhood was a regular one, one that accompanied the father to the farm. My late dad had two wives with three male children. So, it was a polygamous family with a difference, the size was like a nuclear home and to a large extent we were very peaceful. We loved one another.

Can you tell us about the schools you attended? I never attended any school. My father died very early when I was about 15 years. Most of my mates were in school before of their parents, traditional leaders because some of them were christian families of which my late father was not he didn’t accept Christ. So the orphan kind of life was a major barrier that was a major reason I joined the military. Lack of education something that I think till cheated me in life. This was the reason I ensured my children are well educated

What was your late father’s religion? He was a traditionalist.

How did you learn to communicate since you didn’t attend school? It was daily activities. I learnt to speak pidgin from the barrack from my operation in the military.

Where did you work? I worked in the military contingent to Burma, and the civil war invariably I’m a world two and civil  war veteran. For the Burma; I heard that there was recruitment in Gombe, I trekked from here to Gombe when the distance was in miles it about 49 miles, and now it 55 kilometers. I walked all the way with my brothers. When we got there we met the district officer. Who wondered what brought us to Gombe we told him it because of recruitment. He immediately, referred us to recruitment unit and we were tested medically and it was true this medical doctor our ages were discovered and we were certified medically fit. There was no question of paper qualifications but our being physically fit was for them most important. I was recruited them as Private military officer.

How many of you got recruited from Gombe? I can’t remember the exact figure, but in this town (Ture) we were about 10. Infact, my elder brother and I went for that war.

What was your experience in the places you worked? I was recruited under the British military because Nigeria was yet to gain independence. I was commissioned in 1941, from there we went on training for six months at Gombe after which the British government requested the trained military personnel to be brought to war front. So, from Gombe we were taken to Lagos and from Lagos we were shipped on the high sea to India we spent 14 days going to our destination in Burma.

How was the atmosphere in Burma, like compared to Ture in present day Gombe State? The difference was clear, the atmosphere there was very different from the one we left at home.

So where were you deployed to the war front? We were divided into units, we kept advancing. We got reinforcement when our personnel reduced due to one causality or the other. Until the Japanese surrendered the war.

It was very successful it was due to our contribution that made the Japanese to surrender. There was this saying that the Africans died twice not that we exhibited mystic powers but they assumed we were the same because of our semblance according to them.

What was your near death experience? Two of my brothers that I left Gombe with died at the war front, I saw him die. It was rumoured that all of us have been cleared my family received condolence for good seven days. At that time, I was the orderly to our team lead, at the point we were there was a rock like that of Ture at the theater of war. So we wanted to climb down in order to move to the other side we were about 250 personnel that were conveyed to the point as we we landing the Japanese were alerted thereby clearing most of us. We were scattered so my boss was caught by the cross fire, his intestine came out, I managed to use my uniform to reduce the bleeding. I called the doctor to give my boss urgent attention but when he arrived he injected him because his case was serious. We removed his badge, saluted him out of 250 we had just about 150, 100 were no where to be found. So many persons fell into running water, they claimed it was best to be swept away by the water than to be hit by bullet. We spent about a month in the bush.

Why did you spend such a long time in the bush? We lost our map reader because it was helicopter that dropped us and our map reader has passed away. So we were lost in the bush. We were just wondering about in the bush, we survived eating any leaf, fruit with good taste in the month. Eventually, we came across the helicopter that identified us. We were packed to camp. On camp we were kept for good two weeks on better feeding and other medical attention. Fortunately or unfortunately, the day we planned for revenge was the day Hitler surrendered.

How did you and your colleagues take it? We could not eat food because we were unhappy that Hitler surrendered, we wanted them to feel our action.

How did your family know nothing happened to you? It was when we were found and brought to camp. They signalled to Nigeria that the following soldiers they assumed were dead have been found.

How did your family receive the news that you were still alive after mourning you for seven days? Smiles, they celebrated that I was alive. My date said she was the happiest family member but added that she was unsure until she saw me.

When did you retire? When the war ended, we were brought to Lagos. We were asked how many were retiring and how many wanted to be back home. I opted return back home, so I retired. The year was 1946, I returned home to farming. I planted maize, guinea corn etc.

Why didn’t you continue in the army, by enlisting when Nigeria became an independent nation? For me that lack of education was a barrier.

How did you find your way to Nigeria’s Civil war? We were recruited again into the Nigerian Civil war.we didn’t go through any training we were just handed rifle because we had the experience.

So how did it go? We were taken to the South East border where used to be their conventional point. We were dropped there before we advanced on foot to the areas we were expected to launch attack.

Where was that? Ours was Nsukka, we captured Nsukka most of the people there ran to Enugu to safe themselves. We camped in University of Nigeria, Nsukka before advancing further.

What is the comparison between civil war and Burma experience? The Burma war was hotter than the civil war because for the civil war I considered it as brotherly fight. I didn’t see it as a war but as a game because most of my colleagues did not also die much in the civil war. Most Igbos died out of hunger not bullet . I sympathized with some of my Igbo brothers in the face of the attack, I saw it as killing my brother. Unlike the white man whom I don’t know.

The likes of President Buhari, former president Obasanjo, IBB all participated in the civil war, did you come across one of them? No, I didn’t but I know of Gowon, Muritala because those persons you mentioned were junior officers. But some of the senior officers l knew them.

Looking at the current challenges now, as someone that has seen the civil war, as a statesman what is your take about the bickering for disintegration? Laughs..I have no comment on that, it is left for the government, if they feel it is just to share the country that’s for them. I don’t support the break away.

After the civil war, what happened next? I retired again to farming.

How regular is your pension? It comes regularly they don’t owe.

How did you meet your wife? I married only one wife, the late Mrs Rebecca, she passed this year 2021 with seven children. My grand children are about 46, great grand about 35, great grand grand about five of them. I met late Rebecca, a long time ago, before I left Gombe I had her in mind as I survived the war I wedded her on my return exactly 1947 was when I married her.

What is your favourite song? Songs didn’t really bother me, even as a younger man there was no special interest in songs.

Favourite food? Things have really changed during our days there was no rice. No one farmed rice, all we knew was beans and guinea corn. As at now my favourite is tea. There is barely any thing I eat without taking tea. I usually take it three times a day.

Would you say you’ve lived a life of fulfillment? Yes, I went to defend the country especially representing the country in second world war. My interest was Nigeria not about the British because we were under their colony. So, if they captured them Nigeria would have been under the Japanese. In the case of the civil war, of Igbo captured the country we will be under them and Nigeria will disappear.

What were your happiest and saddest moments? Happiest moment was when in 1978 when I received Christ. Just immediately, I retired from the Nigerian Army. There is nothing that will interest me than encountering Christ.

Saddest, I can’t remember any at the moment.

Do you have any regrets? There are two things namely; lack of education and Secondly the historic house I built with my pay in the military has collapsed. If God will grant me the chance to rebuild it. The building comes with memories.

Since the building will make you happy, do you mind someone rebuilding it for you, what was unique about the building ? I don’t mind, it will be my utmost pleasure. Nothing much except that I built it with my salary in the Army, which creates lovely sweet memory.

What is your advice to the younger generation? All parents should ensure their wards attended school. Even if they will be farmers they required education to be better farmers.

Advice to leaders? Had it been our leaders paid attention, by taking critical evaluation  of the bombing of facilities by the sect. A solution would have appeared, this wouldn’t have stayed this long, right now it has become a pandemic to the country. I call on governor’s, and the president to find solutions to all this. Leaders should  improve the wellbeing of both medical personnel and teachers. For the military the motivation mechanism is there already.

What has been keeping you this young and healthy? (Laughs extensively…….) I live a life of contentment anything presented to me if it is presentable, i will eat it but if it is not I won’t eat it. It is not about what you eat but God takes good care of his own.

How do you relax? When my children, grand,great grand, great grand are gathered around me.

Have we got the Nigeria of our dream? It is unfortunate, that Nigeria has turned to something else because it is beyond imagination that Boko Haram will stay for this long like we don’t have leaders. It portrays the military like there are no personnel to stop there. For me, ending this is a matter of one hour. Right now I don’t know what has gone wrong

I have a veteran  journalist as a son, three of my other sons are professional teachers one of them retired as head of personnel deputy education secretary. One of them is a head master.