Republic of Benin (1967) all gains were unrelated to the proclamation of Benin. The Biafran occupation of the Mid-Western Region failed to achieve its objectives and severely damaged domestic support for the secessionist cause among non-Igbos, and was perceived by the Nigerian federal government as justification to escalate the minor conflict into full-fledged war. Republic of Benin (1967) The Republic of Benin was a short-lived unrecognized secessionist state in West Africa which existed for one day in 1967. It was established on 19 September 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War as a puppet state of Biafra, following its occupation of Nigeria's Mid-Western Region, and
Bight of Biafra Guinea (Bioko Island and Rio Muni), and Gabon (northern coast). The Bight of Biafra accounted for 13% (1.6 million) of the total number of slaves exported from the Western African coast. The Bight of Benin to the west accounted for 17% while Central Africa to the south accounted for 48%. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Bonny had emerged as the major slave trading port on the Bight of Biafra outpacing the earlier dominant slave ports at Elem Kalabari (also known then as New Calabar) and Old Calabar. These 3 ports together accounted for over 90% of the slave