THE MAN ISAAC ADAKA BORO (1938-1968)Do you know that before Emeka Ojukwu declared the Republic of Biafra in May 1967, Isaac Adaka Boro had declared the Niger Delta Republic in February 1966?Boro had formed the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, an armed militia with members consisting mainly of his fellow Ijaw ethnic group, declared the Niger Delta Republic on February 23, 1966, and fought Nigeria’s Federal forces for 12 days but they were eventually defeated and then jailed by the Aguiyi-Ironsi Federal Military Government for treason.Before he declared the Niger Delta Republic, Isaac Adaka Boro’s father, a learned educationist, had offered his son sponsorship abroad to further his education rather than take up arms against the government. The senior Boro feared that the action would ruin the family but Boro rejected his father’s offer.However, Boro went on to fight for Nigeria against Biafra during the civil war but was killed under active service on May 9, 1968, at Ogu (near Okrika) in Rivers state. He was 29.