Renowned Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has stated that Nigerian youths are unlikely to respond to calls by the military to enlist unless they are assured that their lives will be adequately protected while serving the nation.
Ejiofor made this known in a statement titled “Monday Musing: Recruitment by Compulsion or Reform by Conviction? Why Nigeria’s Youths Are Reluctant to Enlist in a War They Fear Is Already Compromised.”
According to him, young Nigerians will only begin to see military enlistment as a noble and meaningful path of national service when they are convinced that their lives will not be casually jeopardized by internal betrayal within the system.
He argued that when a young man watches news reports of soldiers,often newly recruited and barely trained being killed in ambushes before they can even defend themselves, such a person cannot be blamed for pausing to reconsider the wisdom of joining the military.
Ejiofor who is Dunu-Ezeugosinachi further stated that the reluctance of many youths to enlist in the army does not merely stem from indifference or a lack of patriotism. Rather, he said it reflects a lingering climate of fear, uncertainty, and distrust sentiments largely shaped by the disturbing realities unfolding within Nigeria’s various theatres of conflict.
He maintained that patriotism should not demand blind sacrifice in circumstances where systemic vulnerabilities remain unresolved.
“Across Africa, and even within the West African sub-region, many countries face insurgencies of varying degrees. Yet, the frequency with which Nigerian troops appear to fall victim to devastating ambushes raises legitimate concerns that cannot simply be dismissed as the inevitable cost of warfare,” he added.
The statement reads in full :. "In recent days, statements emanating from the military high command have suggested a renewed determination to significantly increase recruitment into the Nigerian Army. Particular emphasis appears to have been placed on encouraging, and in some quarters almost compelling, young men from the South-East to present themselves for enlistment in the armed forces.
Ordinarily, the defence of one’s country ought to command the spontaneous patriotism of every able-bodied citizen. The military institution, in every civilised society should represent honour, sacrifice, and the noblest form of national service. Yet, in Nigeria today, the enthusiasm that should ordinarily accompany such calls to duty appears curiously muted among many youths.
Why?
The answer lies not merely in indifference, nor in a deficit of patriotism, but in a lingering climate of fear, uncertainty, and distrust, sentiments shaped largely by the disturbing realities currently unfolding within Nigeria’s theatres of conflict.
Across several regions of the country, jihadist insurgents and armed terrorist groups continue to prosecute a relentless and ferocious campaign of violence. From the forests of the North-East to the volatile plains of the North-Central, these non-state actors have demonstrated a capacity for sustained assaults against communities and, increasingly, against the very security forces charged with confronting them.
One of the most devastating features of this conflict has been the growing frequency of military ambushes.
Indeed, ambush attacks, once considered exceptional occurrences within the theatre of war, now appear alarmingly routine. Reports of soldiers and security operatives being caught in meticulously orchestrated traps have become distressingly familiar headlines.
Only two days ago, in Plateau state, more than thirty security personnel, including local vigilantes assisting the military, were reportedly killed when their convoy fell into a deadly ambush by armed insurgents. Sadly, this incident is far from isolated. The catalogue of similar tragedies continues to lengthen with unsettling regularity.
It is important to appreciate the nature of an ambush in military operations.
An ambush is not merely a chance encounter between opposing forces. It is a calculated and deliberate tactic. It occurs when hostile forces, armed with prior intelligence regarding troop movement, position themselves strategically along the anticipated route of their adversary, striking suddenly and with overwhelming surprise. In such situations, the element of surprise, rather than sheer firepower, often determines the outcome.
While soldiers may occasionally fall in open confrontation during exchanges of gunfire, it is frequently during these ambush scenarios that casualties become most devastating. Entire patrol units may be wiped out before they are even able to properly engage their attackers.
This raises a profoundly troubling question.
How do insurgent groups repeatedly obtain such precise information regarding troop movements?
Military analysts across the world will attest that successful ambushes are rarely accidental. They are almost always preceded by actionable intelligence, intelligence that must originate from somewhere.
It is therefore difficult to dismiss the growing suspicion among the public that internal compromise and information leakage within the security architecture may be contributing to these tragic outcomes.
If hostile elements consistently know when troops are moving, where they are headed, and which routes they intend to take, then it suggests that the problem may not lie solely in the forests where insurgents hide, but perhaps also within the very institutions tasked with confronting them.
And herein lies the psychological dilemma confronting Nigeria’s youths.
When a young man watches news reports of soldiers, often newly recruited and barely trained, being cut down in ambushes before they can even defend themselves, he cannot be blamed for pausing to reconsider the wisdom of enlistment.
Patriotism, after all, should not demand blind sacrifice in circumstances where systemic vulnerabilities remain unresolved.
Across Africa and even within the West African sub-region, many countries face insurgencies of varying degrees. Yet, the frequency with which Nigerian troops appear to fall victim to devastating ambushes raises legitimate concerns that cannot simply be dismissed as the inevitable cost of warfare.
For the average Nigerian youth contemplating enlistment, the question is painfully simple:
Will I be fighting the enemy alone, or will the enemy already know I am coming?
This crisis of confidence is perhaps the greatest recruitment challenge confronting the Nigerian military today.
The issue therefore extends beyond recruitment campaigns, public appeals, or rhetorical calls to patriotism. Trust cannot be commanded; it must be earned.
If the Nigerian state truly desires to attract the brightest and most capable youths into military service, then it must first address the perception, and perhaps the reality, that internal sabotage continues to undermine military operations.
Those who betray troop movements, leak operational intelligence, or compromise strategic plans are not merely disloyal officers. They are, in the truest sense of the word, the most dangerous terrorists within the system.
For an enemy outside the gates can be confronted in battle.
But an enemy hidden within the walls is infinitely more destructive.
The military high command must urgently embark upon a comprehensive sanitisation of its ranks, strengthening internal intelligence, rooting out compromised personnel, and restoring operational secrecy within the command structure.
Only when young Nigerians are convinced that their lives will not be casually jeopardised by internal betrayal will they begin to view enlistment once again as a noble and meaningful path of national service.
Until then, recruitment campaigns may continue to be announced with great enthusiasm.
But the silence of reluctant Nigerian youths will continue to speak louder than the bugle calls of enlistment."
##
0 Comments