Amnesty International Slams FG Over Rising Insecurity, Human Rights Abuses In South-East
By OBI DAVIES
AMNESTY International has accused the Federal Government of neglecting the worsening insecurity and human rights abuses in Nigeria’s South-East, where violence by security forces and armed groups continues to escalate.
In a new report titled “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in South-East Nigeria,” the rights group said at least 1,844 people were killed and hundreds abducted or disappeared between January 2021 and June 2023.
Amnesty described the region’s situation as an “endless cycle of bloodshed,” fuelled by impunity, poor governance, and violent reprisals from both state and non-state actors. It documented cases of arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings involving security agencies and local vigilantes such as Ebube Agu.
The report also blamed armed groups, often referred to as “unknown gunmen,” for hundreds of civilian deaths across Imo, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi states, noting that Imo alone recorded more than 400 fatalities between 2019 and 2021.
Amnesty criticised the government’s “heavy-handed” response to pro-Biafra activism, saying it had deepened mistrust and worsened violence, while IPOB’s sit-at-home orders crippled the region’s economy and education.
“The Nigerian authorities must stop turning a blind eye to unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture in the South-East,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
The group urged the UN to launch an independent probe into reported abuses, warning that impunity and official silence have eroded public confidence and allowed violence to flourish unchecked.
