Why Igbo youths shun military service, says Intersociety

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By Jeff Agbodo

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ENUGU — The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has attributed what it described as the reluctance of some Igbo youths to enlist in the Nigerian military to concerns over the alleged disappearance of young people in the South-East.

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Intersociety, in a report jointly released with the United States-based Ekwenche Research Institute, claimed that more than 6,000 families in the South-East had been unable to establish the whereabouts of their sons and daughters who allegedly went missing in the custody of security personnel between January 2021 and July 2026.

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The organisations also alleged that thousands of civilians had been abducted or killed in different parts of the country during the period under review.

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The report, released on Sunday, claimed that at least 299 Christians were killed and 213 others abducted across Nigeria in July 2026.

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It attributed the reported deaths and abductions to what it described as attacks by jihadist groups and actions involving state and non-state actors.

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The report was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Lead Researcher and Head of Intersociety Nigeria; Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Head of Campaign and Publicity, Intersociety; Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety; Prof. Justin Akujieze, President and Chairman of the Board, Ekwenche Research Institute, USA; and Mazi Luke Nwannunu, Secretary and Chair of the Finance Committee, Ekwenche Research Institute.

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According to the report, “at least 299 defenceless and peaceful Christians were killed by Islamic Jihadists in Nigeria, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Adamawa, Niger, Taraba, among others; during which no fewer than 213 others were abducted.”

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It further estimated that about 150 predominantly indigenous Hausa Muslims were killed during the month.

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The organisations also claimed that at least six churches came under attack, while two Catholic seminarians were abducted in Enugu and Kogi, one Catholic priest was killed and four pastors were either killed or abducted.

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A breakdown in the report indicated that Benue recorded the highest number of alleged Christian deaths, with 65 fatalities and 30 abductions.

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It said Southern Kaduna recorded 58 Christian deaths and 70 abductions, while Plateau recorded 55 deaths and at least 10 abductions.

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Adamawa was said to have recorded 35 Christian deaths, followed by Niger with 30, while Southern Kebbi recorded six deaths and 18 abductions.

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The report also listed 20 abducted Christians each in Southern Borno, Kogi and Edo.

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It claimed that at least 40 other Christian deaths occurred in different parts of the country, including the South-East.

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The groups said their findings indicated an average of 10 Christian deaths and seven abductions daily during the month under review.

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South-East concerns

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The report also raised concerns over alleged disappearances and security operations in the South-East.

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It claimed that about 11,000 families across the region had been unable to trace relatives who allegedly disappeared during security operations or amid violence.

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Of the figure, the organisations estimated that about 70 per cent involved people who allegedly went missing in connection with military operations in the South-East since January 2021.

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They further attributed 20 per cent of the alleged disappearances to police operations and 10 per cent to personnel of the State Security Service, SSS.

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The organisations also claimed that more than 5,000 people abducted during security operations linked to pro-Biafra self-determination protests between August 2015 and July 2026 had not been traced by their families or lawyers.

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The report alleged that some of the missing persons were taken to detention facilities outside the region, but did not provide independently verifiable evidence establishing the whereabouts of the alleged detainees.

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It also made allegations of unlawful killings, custodial deaths and other human rights violations involving security agencies in the South-East.

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The organisations claimed that more than 11,000 civilians had allegedly been killed in controversial circumstances by security personnel in the region between August 2015 and July 2026.

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They cited the security operations of September 2017 in parts of Abia State as one of the incidents requiring further investigation.

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According to the report, more than 180 civilians were allegedly killed during security operations between September 11 and 14, 2017, in Afara-Ukwu and other parts of Umuahia, Asa, Aba, Ogwe and Isiala-Ngwa.

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It further claimed that hundreds of people were abducted and remained unaccounted for.

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The organisations also alleged that security operations linked to pro-Biafra activities had contributed to distrust among some residents of the South-East.

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Alleged attacks in communities

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The report further claimed that at least 20 rural communities in the South-East were facing threats or attacks attributed by the organisations to armed herders.

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It identified communities in Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states, as well as parts of neighbouring Delta State.

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The organisations identified Ezeagu, Isi-Uzo, Uzo-Uwani and Nkanu East Local Government Areas of Enugu State as areas requiring particular attention.

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The report alleged that several communities in Ezeagu had experienced insecurity over the years, while communities including Eha-Amufu and Mgbuji in Isi-Uzo had been affected by attacks and displacement.

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It also alleged the destruction of places of worship and loss of lives in the affected communities.

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In Uzo-Uwani, the organisations claimed that several communities had experienced displacement as a result of insecurity.

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Intersociety and Ekwenche Research Institute said the findings underscored the need for further investigation into alleged human rights violations, disappearances and attacks in the South-East.

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The organisations argued that the alleged disappearances and security-related concerns had contributed to distrust among some young people in the region towards military service.

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However, as of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian military, police and other security agencies had not publicly responded to the latest allegations contained in the report.

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