Amnesty International Exposes Decade of Carnage in Nigeria’s South-East, Tallying 1,844 Deaths
A damning new report from Amnesty International has laid bare a harrowing landscape of violence in Nigeria’s South-East, accusing both state security forces and non-state armed groups of perpetrating gross human rights violations that have resulted in the deaths of at least 1,844 people in a two-and-a-half-year period. The findings, covering January 2021 to June 2023, depict a region caught in a vicious cycle of impunity, where civilians are trapped between warring factions.
A Hybrid of Violence: Political Agendas and Criminal Enterprise
The comprehensive report, titled “A decade of impunity, attacks and unlawful killings in the South East,” characterizes the security situation as a “hybrid of criminal and political violence.” This complex dynamic, Amnesty suggests, allows different actors to manipulate the narrative to suit their own interests, blurring the lines between separatist insurgency, state crackdowns, and outright banditry.
“The security situation in South-East Nigeria involves a hybrid of criminal and political violence that different actors can choose to portray and manipulate to suit their interests,” the organization stated, highlighting the challenge of assigning clear motives to the relentless bloodshed.
The human rights watchdog points the finger at a broad spectrum of perpetrators. On one side are state-backed forces, including the Nigerian military and the regional paramilitary outfit, Ebube Agu. On the other are non-state armed groups, principally the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), its militant wing the Eastern Security Network (ESN), and the shadowy figures often dubbed ‘unknown gunmen.’ All are implicated in what Amnesty describes as “widespread killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and destruction of property.”
The Human Toll: A Region Under Siege
The statistic of 1,844 deaths between January 2021 and June 2023 is a stark quantification of the crisis. However, the report emphasizes that this is not a historical tally but a snapshot of an ongoing tragedy. “As at the time of writing this report, the killings continued,” Amnesty noted, indicating that the final death toll for the period under review is likely even higher.
Beyond the killings, the document catalogues a litany of horrors: abductions, mob violence, and electoral violence have become commonplace, creating an atmosphere of pervasive fear. To compile its findings, Amnesty International conducted in-person and phone interviews with more than 100 individuals, including survivors, relatives of victims, civil society representatives, lawyers, and religious leaders across Enugu, Abia, Imo, Anambra, and Ebonyi states.
In a telling sign of the political sensitivity surrounding the crisis, the organization’s requests for meetings with the five South-East governors “did not receive any answer,” with the exception of Anambra State, which “acknowledged receipt but did not provide an opportunity for a meeting.”
The Rise of ‘Ungoverned Spaces’
One of the most alarming trends documented in the report is the emergence of areas effectively outside state control. Several communities, particularly in Imo and Anambra States, have been overrun by armed groups who have displaced residents, sacked traditional rulers, and established fortified camps in dense forests.
“Many communities, including Agwa and Izombe in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, could be described as ‘ungoverned spaces’ due to the activities of gunmen who have taken total control of the communities,” the report stated.
Amnesty identified specific forest strongholds used by these groups. In Anambra State, camps are located in Lilu, Ukpor, Ihiala, Azia, Orsumoghu, and surrounding towns. In Enugu State, the Nkwerre-Inyi forest in Oji River was named as a key militant base. These sanctuaries allow armed factions to operate with relative impunity, launching attacks and enforcing their will on local populations.
Perpetrators in the Spotlight: Accusations Against All Sides
State Actors: Ebube Agu and the Military
The report delivers a severe indictment of the very forces ostensibly tasked with restoring order. The Ebube Agu security outfit, established by the South-East governors in April 2021 as a regional response to rising insecurity, stands accused of operating far outside the law.
Amnesty International condemns the group for “arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, extortion, and destruction of homes.” This portrayal suggests that the state-backed militia has become a source of terror rather than a provider of security for many civilians.
Similarly, the Nigerian military faces sharp criticism for its conduct during extensive operations such as “Operation Python Dance I & II” and “Operation Udo Ka,” which spanned from 2016 to 2023. The report alleges that these operations have been characterized by brutal excesses.
“The Nigerian military has carried out airstrikes and ground operations that resulted in arbitrary arrests, torture, unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and destruction of homes,” Amnesty stated, citing specific incidents in Orlu and Orsu in Imo State, Amuzi and Odenkwume in Ihitte/Uboma, Aku Ihube in Okigwe, and Orsumoghu in Anambra State.
Non-State Actors: IPOB, ESN, and ‘Unknown Gunmen’
The enforcement of IPOB’s controversial sit-at-home order, first issued on 9 August 2021, is highlighted as a major driver of human rights abuses. Amnesty International states that the enforcement of this order has resulted in “serious violations of the rights to life, freedom of movement, and education.”
Through attacks and threats, IPOB and ESN members have compelled residents to remain indoors on Mondays and during sensitive anniversaries, effectively paralyzing economic and social life. This tactic has not only stifled daily existence but has also led to the deaths of those defying the order or simply caught in the crossfire.
Adding to the chaos, the report documents a surge in cult-related killings in towns such as Obosi, Awka, Onitsha, Ogidi, and Umuoji. These violent clashes, often tied to drug trafficking and territorial control, have claimed hundreds of lives, further complicating the security landscape and demonstrating how political instability can create a vacuum for pure criminality to thrive.
A Path Forward: Amnesty’s Calls to Action
In response to its grim findings, Amnesty International has issued a series of urgent recommendations. The primary call is for Nigerian authorities to “conduct prompt, independent, impartial, and effective investigations” into all allegations of human rights abuses, regardless of the perpetrator.
“Authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies for victims and their families, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repetition,” the group insisted. This appeal for accountability is central to breaking the cycle of violence and impunity.
The organization also pressed the government to provide answers to the families of countless individuals who have been arrested by security forces or Ebube Agu operatives and never seen again. It urged Nigeria to formally criminalise enforced disappearance in line with its international obligations, giving families a legal recourse to seek the truth.
In a direct appeal to all armed factions, Amnesty International declared, “We call on all parties, state forces, ‘unknown gunmen,’ IPOB/ESN forces, and the state-backed Ebube Agu militia, to immediately cease all human rights violations and abuses, including extrajudicial executions, torture, enforced disappearances, and burning of homes in the South-East region.”
The report concludes with a humanitarian plea for the displaced and the vulnerable, particularly students whose education has been consistently disrupted. “No student should be denied access to education as a result of the sit-at-home order,” Amnesty stated, underscoring the long-term societal damage being inflicted upon a generation growing up in the shadow of conflict. The picture painted is one of a region at a precipice, demanding immediate and decisive action to pull it back from the brink.
Full credit to the original publisher: The Sun Nigeria – https://thesun.ng/seast-amnesty-links-1844-deaths-to-military-militia-separatist-groups/