By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has said that lgbo Youths will never again be sacrificed into the Nigerian Army recruitment.

This followed the recent pronouncement of the Nigerian Army Recruitment exercise by Brig Gen. Emmanuel Akpan, Director of Army Recruitment Resettlement and Reserves of Nigerian Army, “that Army is willing to recruit Nigerian Youths for the only purpose of defeating Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

In a statement by the body’s president General and Secretary General, Okechukwu isiguzoro and Okwu Nnabuike respectively, said that the recruitment should be reserved only for Northern Youths as Igbo Youths are not comfortable with such Recruitment.

“We are suspicious and Queries about the rationale behind such pronouncement for such obnoxious recruitment in the South-East, rather in the North or South-West, and such recruitment is a death verdict and penalty for any intending youth waiting to be recruited solely for North-East insurgents.

“OYC insists that Operations Shege Ka Fassa, Civil JTF, repented Boko Haram insurgents, Meyatti Allah and Arewa Youths should be recruited massively and if the intention was targeted on Igbo youths, by choosing South East as the venue to announce the recruitment exercise, such agenda is dead on arrival, as Igbo Youths are only available for Agricultural and economic recruitment.

“OYC want Igbo Youths to be engaged in Community Policing or Regional arrangements, there are various recruitment exercise going on in various states in the South East regards to engaging Youths to tackle insecurity challenges in the South East, OYC will discourage any Igbo Youth ignorantly may be under pressure to go and sacrifice his or her life for the North East.

“South East lacks the manpower for the recruitment exercise into Nigerian Army, because of other meaningful and significant programmes Youths are about to be engaged in the South East, igbo Youths will never be used as sacrificial lamb for any purpose again.

The North East insurgency,as Nigeria is descending into regional Security directions, every Geopolitical Zone should address their challenges without resorting to using Untrained Igbo Youths as sacrificial lamb.

“OYC call on leadership of Miyetti Allah, threating to establish their own Security Outfit across the country, to Use the opportunity of Nigerian Army Recruitment exercise to relocate all their herdsmen to North East and defeat Boko Haram with Nigerian Army.

“Their charity should begin at Home not Abroad, OYC will dismantle any Miyetti Allah Security Outfit in Igbo land, as the South East Governors ban on conveyance of cattle by Foot is still effective and any herdsmen seen with any sophisticated weapon will be dealt with.

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