Renowned Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has said many Nigerian youths are unlikely to respond enthusiastically to calls by the military to enlist unless they are assured that their lives will be adequately protected while serving the nation.
Ejiofor made the remark 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, the defence of one’s country should ordinarily inspire patriotism among able-bodied citizens. However, he noted that the enthusiasm expected to accompany military recruitment appears largely muted among many young Nigerians.
He argued that the reluctance to enlist is not necessarily due to a lack of patriotism but rather a climate of fear, uncertainty and distrust created by disturbing developments in the country’s conflict zones.
Ejiofor said repeated reports of soldiers being killed in ambushes have raised serious concerns among potential recruits.
“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,” he said.
He explained that insurgent groups operating in several parts of Nigeria, particularly in the North-East and parts of the North-Central, have intensified attacks on communities and security forces.
Frequent ambush attacks
One of the most troubling aspects of the conflict, he said, is the increasing frequency of ambush attacks on military personnel.
According to him, such attacks—once considered rare—now appear to be occurring with alarming regularity.
Ejiofor cited a recent incident in Plateau State where more than 30 security personnel, including local vigilantes assisting the military, were reportedly killed after their convoy was caught in an ambush by armed insurgents.
He explained that ambushes are usually carefully planned military tactics rather than accidental encounters between opposing forces.
“An ambush occurs when hostile forces, armed with prior intelligence about troop movement, strategically position themselves along the expected route and strike with surprise,” he said.
In such situations, he added, the element of surprise often determines the outcome of the battle, leaving soldiers vulnerable before they can effectively respond.
The lawyer said the repeated success of such ambushes raises troubling questions about how insurgent groups consistently obtain detailed information about troop movements.
Military analysts, he noted, often agree that successful ambushes are rarely accidental but are typically preceded by actionable intelligence.
“If hostile elements consistently know when troops are moving, where they are headed and which routes they intend to take, it suggests that the problem may not lie only in the forests where insurgents hide but possibly within the very institutions tasked with confronting them.”
Psychological dilemma
According to him, this perception has created a psychological dilemma for many young Nigerians considering military service.
For many of them, the critical question is whether they would be confronting enemies on the battlefield alone or facing dangers worsened by internal sabotage.
He stressed that patriotism should not require blind sacrifice when systemic weaknesses remain unresolved.
Ejiofor urged the military high command to urgently sanitize its ranks by strengthening internal intelligence systems, identifying compromised personnel and protecting operational secrecy.
“An enemy outside the gates can be confronted in battle. But an enemy hidden within the walls is infinitely more destructive,” he said.
According to him, young Nigerians will begin to see military enlistment as a noble and meaningful path of service only when they are convinced that their lives will not be casually jeopardised by internal betrayal.
Until such reforms are implemented, Ejiofor warned, recruitment campaigns may continue to face reluctance from many Nigerian youths.
