"Today they are going to kill us": Ethnicization of the Nigerian Army (1957-1966) and Consequences for Society

This article examines the ethnicization of the Nigerian Army between 1957 and 1966, tracing how recruitment reforms transformed it from a meritocratic institution into one fractured by competing loyalties. We distinguish three intersecting cleavages—ethnic, regional, and sociological (linked to educational and training pipelines)—to show how the introduction of a regionally based “Quota System” reshaped officer cohorts, lowered professional thresholds, and fostered resentment among rival groups. Archival records, parliamentary debates, and memoirs reveal how a policy framed as inclusive instead weakened corporateness and legitimized factional politics within the military. The result was an officer corps divided in identity, unequal in competence, and prone to intervention. By situating Nigeria within wider debates on nonmeritocratic recruitment and praetorianism, the article highlights how politicized personnel policies can erode military professionalism and destabilize fragile democracies.