South-East States Mobilize Youths for Army Recruitment Amid IPOB Opposition

 South-East states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo—have launched a bold campaign to recruit 2,000 youths into the Nigerian Army’s 86th Regular Recruits Intake, defying opposition from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). 

Announced on April 22, 2025, by the South-East Governors’ Forum, the initiative counters IPOB’s boycott calls, which label military service “betrayal,”. The region, contributing 8% of Nigeria’s 215,000 troops, per ISS, seeks to boost representation amid 1,200 annual Biafra-related arrests, per Amnesty International.

Governors, led by Imo’s Hope Uzodinma, are offering training stipends and job guarantees, per Leadership, targeting 46% unemployed youths, per NBS. The Army, needing 12,000 recruits nationwide, per Daily Trust, faces South-East under-enrollment, with only 1,500 applicants in 2024. 

IPOB’s Simon Ekpa, via Radio Biafra, vowed disruptions, citing 2023’s 67% regional insecurity, per ThisDay. Yet, 70% of South-East youths favor federal jobs, driven by 26% inflation, per the IMF. The campaign, backed by Nigeria’s $10 billion defense budget, per SIPRI, includes community outreach, contrasting IPOB’s 0.5% regional support