Our Reporter, Abuja
Amnesty International has accused Nigerian authorities of failing to address a deepening security crisis in the South-East, alleging that thousands have been killed and hundreds forcibly disappeared in a wave of violence involving both state and non-state actors.
In a new report titled A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in South-East Nigeria, the rights watchdog said at least 1,844 people were killed between January 2021 and June 2023, while hundreds of others were arbitrarily detained or disappeared.
The 94-page report documents killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and mass displacement in the region, allegedly perpetrated by armed gangs, “unknown gunmen,” state-backed vigilante groups, and security forces. Amnesty said the violence has left communities trapped in “a climate of fear” since the Nigerian government’s “brutal clampdown” on pro-Biafra protests in 2015.
“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,” said Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria’s director.
“Authorities must live up to their constitutional and international human rights obligations, no matter who the perpetrators are.”
‘Unknown gunmen’ and widespread fear
According to Amnesty, gunmen killed over 400 people in Imo State between 2019 and 2021, often targeting residents, police stations, and vigilante posts. Survivors told researchers that attackers routinely demanded money at community events, with those who refused facing night-time raids and arson.
Authorities have repeatedly blamed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), for much of the violence. IPOB/ESN denies involvement, but Amnesty says the group’s enforcement of a sit-at-home order in 2021 triggered human rights abuses, including beatings and killings of those who defied it. The shutdowns have disrupted schooling, commerce, and daily life across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
Abuses by state forces and vigilantes
The report also accuses the Ebube Agu paramilitary force—set up by South-East governors in April 2021—of harassing political opponents and engaging in torture, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial killings. Nigerian security agencies, including the army and police, are also implicated in similar abuses during counter-insurgency operations.
Communities such as Agwa and Izombe in Imo, and Lilu in Anambra, have allegedly been overrun by armed groups, forcing residents to flee. Cult gangs in parts of Anambra were said to be operating unchecked, fuelling violence tied to drug trafficking.
Calls for justice
Amnesty says despite the scale of the violence, justice and reparations have remained elusive for victims. “Impunity for these crimes continues to have a chilling effect on the enjoyment of other human rights,” Sanusi warned.
The organisation urged Nigerian authorities to launch prompt, impartial, and transparent investigations into all alleged abuses by both state and non-state actors, and to ensure victims’ families have access to justice.
Amnesty said it shared its findings with South-East state governors and security agencies, but no response was received.
