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Claim
Social media users have claimed that Nigeria’s army chief plans to force adult citizens who are up to 18 years old into the Nigerian Army.
Verdict
This claim is FALSE. Waidi Shuaibu, the Chief of Army, recently hinted at recruiting over 24k persons amid rising insecurity in the country. However, there’s no concrete evidence that he stated his intentions to force adult citizens. The official X account of the Nigerian Army has labeled this claim as “Fake News ”.
Full Text
It has been a tough three weeks for Nigeria over a series of terrorist attacks in the northern region of the country.
This is also as the United States designated Nigeria as “Country of Particular Concern ” last month over a Christian genocide claim in Nigeria.
In the last few days, the insecurity worsened after the abduction of Kebbi schoolgirls, the killing of a brigadier general and his men in Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents, and the church attack in Kwara State — all in the northern part of the country.
Social media users have posted an image of the Nigerian Army Chief, Waidi Shuaibu, and quoted him as stating that there are plans to force every adult citizen into joining the army.
The claim reads, “If Nigerian youths refuse to voluntarily join the Army, we may have no choice but to make it compulsory for everyone aged 18 and above. The 10,000 recruits we enlisted last year are nowhere to be found.” — Chief of Army Staff (COAS)
This viral claim has been distributed on Facebook pages, X accounts, and in many WhatsApp groups.
Verification
A simple search by FACTWATCH Nigeria shows that the army chief on 19 November, hinted at the plans of the Nigerian army to recruit over 24,000 soldiers to boost operational capacity.
According to TheCable, during an operational visit to the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna, Shuaibu said the recruitment drive is part of the army’s strategy to tackle evolving security threats and improve troops’ readiness across the country.
“The area of responsibility is vast, and security challenges are dynamic. To meet these threats effectively, we need boots on the ground,” he said.
“In six months, we aim to train 12,000 soldiers from three new training facilities. If we operate two streams, we can produce up to 24,000 soldiers ready for deployment.”
See similar publications of this story here and here.
The army chief did not specify when or where to disclose any plans to force adult citizens into the army if the youths voluntarily refused to join.
The Nigerian lawmakers had on Tuesday 18 November, urged President Bola Tinubu to authorise the recruitment of 100,000 additional military personnel to tackle the growing threat of school abductions across the country.
Debunking the claim, Nigerian army official X account labelled it as “Fake News ”.
Conclusion
The claim quoting the army as saying that there are plans to force adult citizens into the Nigerian Army is far from the truth.
Credit: FACTWATCH Nigeria
