By Chido Nwangwu
LAGOS — Global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has issued a scathing indictment of the Nigerian government’s handling of insecurity and human rights abuses in the South-East region, warning of a “free-for-all reign of impunity” that has left thousands dead and communities living in fear.
The latest report, titled A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria, chronicles a grim tally of violence between January 2021 and December 2024. It documents unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and large-scale displacement — allegedly perpetrated by both state and non-state actors, including gunmen, state-backed paramilitary outfits, vigilantes, criminal gangs, and cult groups.
Key Findings
- 1,844 people killed between January 2021 and June 2023.
- More than 400 killed in Imo State between 2019 and 2021.
- Hundreds arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared.
According to Amnesty, the crisis has roots in the government’s “brutal clampdown” on pro-Biafra protests in August 2015, which it says triggered an “endless cycle of bloodshed” in the region.
“The South-East has become a theatre of impunity, where numerous actors commit grave human rights violations with little or no accountability,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “Assassinations of prominent figures and attacks on highways, security personnel, and facilities underscore the region’s fragile security situation.”
The group called on Nigerian authorities to end unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and destruction of property, urging that all suspected perpetrators — regardless of status — be brought to justice in fair trials. It also demanded that victims and their families have access to justice and adequate remedies.
The report is based on interviews with 100 people, including survivors, relatives of victims, civil society representatives, lawyers, traditional leaders, and religious figures. Amnesty teams also visited Owerri (Imo State), Asaba (Delta State), Obosi (Anambra State), and Enugu (Enugu State) between April and November 2023.
Sanusi warned that the persistent killings and the fear of sudden attacks “illustrate how severely the authorities are failing to protect lives and maintain law and order.”
Beyond the South-East, Amnesty noted that ethnic hostilities and religious bigotry have fueled similar patterns of violence in other parts of Nigeria, further threatening national cohesion. Families of the “vanished” and “missing” continue to demand answers, while the region’s insecurity has severely undermined its demographic stability and economic development.
