The Indigenous People of Biafra has issued a strong warning to youths in the South-East region, urging them not to participate in the ongoing recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Army.
In a statement released Tuesday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB alleged that young recruits from the region are often used as cannon fodder in conflict zones, especially in the North where terrorist groups such as Boko Haram are active.
“The global family of IPOB once more urges Biafran youths to refrain from joining the recent Nigerian Army recruitment,” the statement read. “Before considering joining the Nigerian Army, reflect on this: What has happened to those who enlisted a few years back?”
Powerful claimed that many South-East youths who joined the military have either been killed or severely injured in the line of duty without receiving adequate support or recognition from the Nigerian state.
He also alleged that the military has shown ethnic bias by consistently deploying Southern recruits to volatile Northern zones.
“We have seen countless viral videos and reports of soldiers deployed to fight insurgency complaining of poor allowances, lack of food, medical care, and inadequate equipment,” he stated.
“These Nigerian soldiers are being used as pawns in the terrorism dealings between Nigerian politicians and their foreign collaborators.”
According to IPOB, while many soldiers lose their lives battling insurgents, the government offers amnesty and rewards to so-called “repentant terrorists,” including cash incentives, jobs, and educational opportunities.
“No Biafran youth ought to position themselves as instruments for the Federal Government, ECOWAS, and Western imperialists to be deployed against the Sahel Nations,” Powerful warned. “Any Igbo youth who enlists in the Nigerian Army, your name will be regrettable.”
He advised the region’s young people to consider returning home and taking up farming or other productive ventures instead of enlisting in what he called a “system rigged against them.”
“In any case, you will either be killed or return with debilitating injuries,” he said. “If you manage to come back alive, it will be in disgrace and without any benefits.”
Powerful further questioned the fate of Igbo soldiers recruited in recent years. “Where are the many brave young Igbo individuals who enlisted in the Nigerian Army since 2020? Many are dead; others are languishing in military detention for demanding fair treatment.”
He concluded by appealing to the youths’ sense of identity and survival. “As an indigenous Igbo individual, your achievement is seen as a threat to the Nigerian state. Your struggle against insurgency will be viewed as a conflict with the North. Rather than serve a country that does not value you, return to your village and build your future.”
