Mass arrests, extrajudicial killings in Southeast reason Igbo youths reject military

Random military operations and mass arrest of Igbo youths by security operatives has been credited for the non-enrollment of youths of the region in security agencies.

A human rights organisation, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, in a latest report released on Sunday morning, alleged that over 6,000 families in the South-East were still searching for their sons, daughters and other relatives who were allegedly arrested by security agents.

The report signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Lead Researcher for Intersociety and Prof Justin Akujieze, President and Chairman of the Board of Ekwenche Research Institute, Chicago said findings indicated that arrested persons were usually taken away and branded members or supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, or their militant arm, Eastern Security Network, ESN.

He said the development contributed to the growing reluctance among families in the region to allow their children of military recruitment age to enlist in the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“It is in totality of the above that tens of thousands of Igbo Land South-East families withdraw from giving their beloved sons and daughters of military recruitment age and academic and professional qualifications permission to be enlisted into the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“Earlier investigations indicated that about 5,000 other South-East civilians have remained untraced after alleged arrests or abductions between August 2015 and December 2019.

“Some of the missing persons were transferred to detention facilities in Northern Nigeria, including the WAWA Military Cantonment in Niger State, without their families being informed of their whereabouts or being granted access to them.

“About 70 per cent of the more than 6,000 persons allegedly missing since January 2021 were taken by military personnel, while the remaining cases were attributed to police crack squads and the State Security Service.

“These disappearances have created a climate of fear among families and has affected their attitudes towards military recruitment.”

The report urged the Defence Headquarters and other security agencies to provide details of persons arrested or killed during military operations, including their identities, locations of detention, circumstances of arrest and, where applicable, circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The organisations also called for independent judicial commissions of inquiry in the South-East to investigate alleged disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other abuses dating back to 2015.