The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has warned South-East leaders not to mobilise youths in the region for enlistment into the Nigerian Army.
The Biafran group, in a statement released on Tuesday by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, accused the Nigerian Army of attempting to exploit the South-East population for military purposes under false pretences.
IPOB alleged that the Nigerian Army had been holding private meetings with traditional rulers, religious leaders, elders, and youth organisations in the South-East, encouraging them to campaign for youth recruitment into the military.
According to the statement, the Army’s goal is to use South-East youths as “sacrificial lambs” in ongoing military conflicts, particularly in the insurgency-ridden northern regions of Nigeria.
“The Nigerian Army has begun employing Igbo individuals to mislead Ndigbo into enrolling their children in the Nigerian Army,” IPOB claimed.
“The Nigerian Army assigned 3000 individuals from Kaduna and various northern states, while only 200 individuals were allocated to each state from the South-East region, indicating that we do not belong to Nigeria at all. Join the Nigerian Army and endure the challenges.”
The group questioned the sincerity of the government’s recruitment strategy, alleging that the security framework in Nigeria has been handed over to “terrorists” in the North, and that South-East youths are now being recruited to serve as expendable assets in the fight against these forces.
“The question is, if the Nigerian Army presents a solid job prospect, will the Nigerian government or its violent military provide Igbo youths with such an opportunity?
“Are our young people not capable of securing jobs in the Central Bank, NNPC, EFCC, Customs, and other profitable parastatals in Nigeria?
“What actions has the Nigerian government taken to support the families of soldiers who died in active duty defending Nigeria?
“Why were the valiant Igbo soldiers who allied with their peers to prevent Nigeria’s downfall in 1966 characterized, betrayed, and labeled “the Igbo coup plotters,” resulting in the slaughter of thousands of Ndigbo in the North during that same year?” IPOB queried.
The group further accused the Nigerian military of concealing the identities of soldiers killed in action in the North, alleging that a majority of the deceased were of South-East origin.
It also referenced the Nigerian Army’s involvement in violent operations in the South-East, describing such actions as deliberate attacks on South-East communities.
IPOB strongly opposed what it described as a “population reduction agenda” against the South-East people and condemned the attempt to involve South-East youths in what it termed a “proxy war” under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) standby force initiative in the Sahel region.
Powerful stated, “Our recommendation to the Nigerian Army is to enlist thousands of Igbo youths whom they unlawfully hold in different detention facilities across Nigeria.
“Or even better, visit the mass graves where thousands of Igbo youths were buried and enlist their bodies into the Nigerian Army to fight for them.
“We caution Ndigbo against encouraging and campaigning for Igbo youths to enlist to combat state and foreign-sponsored terrorists who have more resources than the Nigerian Army.
“We will hold responsible anyone who encourages Igbo youths to the slaughter of Fulani terrorists under the guise of joining the Nigerian Army. IPOB will oppose all depopulation strategies targeting Ndigbo.”
