As the prolific Nigerian historian Onianwa Oluchukwu Ignatus observes in this pathbreaking study, British women played a vital role in the civil war that broke out in Nigeria in 1967. They saw the war as a challenge to womanhood in a male-dominated society dominated by men. British women distinguished themselves and became part of the formidable force that brought the issue of the war nearer not only to the British populace, but to the global community as a whole. While many volunteered to be at the forefront of championing the war in government and media via formidable pressure groups, others were involved in humanitarian activities.
The motives behind these actions included extraordinarily grisly reports of women's suffering in the conflict and the frustration with the lack of progress in solving the main issues that precipitated the war and the involvement of great powers in the conflict.
Through media reports and coverage, especially via the relatively new medium of television, British women became strongly aware of the war situation in Nigeria. They pressured the British government to strengthen its political front and, effectively, to settle the war. The engagement of British women regarding the civil war in Nigeria served as an example of how internal conflict could become a global responsibility. Out of genuine concern for civilians caught in the war zones, British women rendered enormous assistance to war victims and intensified efforts to bring the two sides of the conflict to the negotiation table.
