By Chidimma Okwara
NIGERIA- Amnesty International has released a damning report titled “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria,” which highlights the persistent security crisis and widespread human rights violations in the region. The report indicates that at least 1,844 people were killed between January 2021 and June 2023.
The report attributes the killings and human rights violations to a range of actors, including both state and non-state groups, operating in a climate of impunity.
Data released by Amnesty International has revealed that more than 1,800 people, including a monarch, have been killed across Nigeria’s South-East region in just over two years.
The group has also accused both armed separatists and security forces of widespread human rights abuses and unchecked violence.
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A minimum of 1,844 people were killed across the South-East region (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states) between January 2021 and June 2023.
The unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests were committed by “Unknown Gunmen” and various criminal gangs/cults.
While IPOB has repeatedly denied involvement in civilian killings, Amnesty’s findings reveal that various splinter cells now operate independently, launching coordinated assaults on police stations, markets and public officials.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) ha over the years enforceded sit-at-home orders in a struggle for Biafra actualization.
Imo State has been the hardest hit, recording more than 400 deaths between 2019 and 2021, a figure many people say is under-reported, followed by Anambra and Ebonyi states.
Nigerian Security Forces (police and military) during operations, including reported extrajudicial executions and excessive use of force.
The state-backed paramilitary outfit, Ebube-Agu, which is accused of being used to harass and intimidate opponents and critics of state governments.
The report details the devastating impact of the crisis on the lives of ordinary citizens. Gunmen have sacked traditional rulers, displaced residents, and taken control of entire communities, turning places like Agwa and Izombe in Imo State into “ungoverned spaces.”
Insecurity has severely affected the rights to life, physical integrity, security, liberty, and freedom of movement. Many have not traveled to their hometowns for years.
The enforcement of the sit-at-home order by IPOB/ESN has resulted in human rights abuses, including people being beaten or killed for non-compliance, forcing the closure of schools and markets, and causing harsh economic consequences.
The Nigerian Defence Headquarter has denied Amnesty’s claims, stating that the armed forces operate strictly within the law and have conducted measured and intelligence-driven operations in volatile areas.
However, civil society groups and local media continue to document reports of extrajudicial killings and property destruction during military raids in Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi states.
Call for Action
Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian authorities to take immediate and decisive action to end the cycle of violence and impunity.
“The lack of accountability emboldens perpetrators,” Amnesty said. “Communities now live between the terror of the gunmen and the fear of those meant to protect them.”
“The government must stop turning a blind eye to the unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and destruction of properties in the South-East region. Authorities must live up to their constitutional and international human rights obligations including by ensuring all suspected perpetrators are brought to justice in a fair trial, no matter who they are, and that victims and their families have access to justice and effective remedies.”
Amnesty International Nigeria urges federal and state authorities to:
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- Investigate every unlawful killing, disappearance, and raid.
- Prosecute all suspected perpetrators in fair trials.
- End the use of excessive force by security forces and ensure operations protect civilians.
- Support survivors and displaced families with access to justice and recovery.
- The report serves as a critical call to action for the Nigerian government to uphold the rule of law and protect the lives of its citizens in the South-East region.
- Would you like to read the official press release from Amnesty International, or would you like a summary of the key recommendations made to the government?
