The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) suggests that the hesitation among many Igbo youths to enlist in the Nigerian military stems from fears regarding the unexplained disappearance of young individuals in the South-East region. In a joint report with the U.S.-based Ekwenche Research Institute, the groups state that over 6,000 families across the South-East have lost contact with relatives who allegedly vanished while in the custody of security forces between January 2021 and July 2026.
The organizations allege that nationwide insecurity has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and abductions. Specifically, the report claims that during July 2026, at least 299 Christians were killed and 213 were abducted by jihadist groups and other actors. The report was compiled by a team including Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Prof. Justin Akujieze, and Mazi Luke Nwannunu.
Regarding the South-East, the study estimates that 11,000 families are currently unable to locate relatives, attributing 70 percent of these cases to military operations, 20 percent to police actions, and 10 percent to the State Security Service. Furthermore, the report claims that more than 5,000 individuals linked to pro-Biafra protests have been missing since 2015. Additionally, the groups highlight that at least 20 rural communities in the South-East face persistent threats from armed herders, impacting regions in Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi.
While calling for thorough investigations into these alleged rights violations, the report concludes that such security tensions have deepened the gap between the military and the youth population in the South-East. At the time of this report, Nigerian security agencies had not issued an official response to these claims.