Amnesty: 1,800 killed in South-East Nigeria in two years

Amnesty International reports over 1,800 deaths in Nigeria’s South-East from 2021–2023 due to gunmen, militias, and alleged state-backed security abuses

Abuja, Nigeria – More than 1,800 people, including a monarch, have reportedly lost their lives in Nigeria’s South-East region between January 2021 and June 2023, according to a new report by Amnesty International.

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The global human rights organization said at least 1,844 deaths occurred in attacks by so-called unknown gunmen, local militias, and state-backed security forces.

The findings, drawn from victim interviews, police reports, and media verification, focused on Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.

Amnesty described the killings as part of a “decade of impunity” in the region.

In one particularly gruesome incident, gunmen stormed the palace of traditional ruler HRH Eze Ignatius Asor in Obudu Agwa, Imo State, on 14 November 2022.

Witnesses reported about 30 armed men arriving in a convoy, executing the monarch and two visiting chiefs, and firing more than 16 bullets into the ruler’s body. No arrests have been made since.

The organization traced the violence back to 2019, when armed factions began enforcing sit-at-home orders linked to the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

While IPOB denied involvement in civilian killings, Amnesty noted that splinter cells now operate independently, targeting police stations, markets, and public officials.

Imo State recorded the highest death toll, exceeding 400 between 2019 and 2021, followed by Anambra and Ebonyi.

Additional fatalities since December 2022, mostly from midnight raids, assassinations, and reprisal attacks, have further escalated insecurity.

The report criticized the Ebube Agu security network, established by South-East governors in 2021, for alleged arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

“The lack of accountability emboldens perpetrators. Communities now live between the terror of the gunmen and the fear of those meant to protect them,” Amnesty stated.

The Defence Headquarters has denied the allegations, insisting that military operations are lawful and intelligence-driven.

However, local groups and media continue to report extrajudicial killings and property destruction.

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Amnesty called on the Nigerian government to set up an independent judicial panel to investigate killings, disappearances, and torture cases, emphasizing that “security must not come at the cost of human rights.”

David Okere