Communities in Anambra and Imo States have raised alarm over worsening insecurity, lamenting that families of victims are being forced by gunmen to pay levies before burying their dead.
The concern was voiced at the relaunch of Amnesty International’s report on extrajudicial killings in the South-East, held in Ikeja, Lagos State.
“We Pay to Bury Our Dead” — Community Leaders
Speaking virtually, the Palace Secretary of Lilu community in Anambra State, Dr. Dominic Okoli, said gunmen had killed over 25 people and destroyed more than 30 houses in the area between 2020 and 2025.
He lamented that Lilu, once a peaceful agrarian town, had become a haven for armed groups.
Schools and health facilities had shut down, leaving children out of school and residents without medical care.
According to him, even burials are not spared: “Before you bury a relative, you must obtain permission from the gunmen by paying them money. They have banned funerals, so families only pay to carry out burials.”
Okoli likened the community to a “Sambisa forest of the South-East,” noting that the group’s unchecked activities had forced many families into hardship.
Families Extorted in Imo
Also speaking, a leader from Agwa community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Mr. Nduka Ozor, confirmed similar experiences.
He said families sometimes pay as much as half a million naira before being allowed to bury their loved ones.
Ozor recalled that his brother, the community’s monarch, as well as a pregnant woman, were among scores killed by the gunmen. Properties worth over ₦1 billion were also destroyed.
“They are not strangers. These are boys we know in the community, carrying out killings without masks,” he said, adding that intervention by security agencies and community leaders has only brought partial relief.
Amnesty International Reacts
The Country Director of Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi, described the killings in the South-East as unquantifiable and called for urgent government action.
He said the Federal Government must launch independent and transparent investigations into violations by both state and non-state actors, while ensuring protection of lives and property.
Action Plan
Both Okoli and Ozor appealed to security agencies and government at all levels to come to the aid of affected communities.
When contacted, the Anambra State Police Command had yet to respond to inquiries on the reported burial levies.
Killings and abductions have continued across parts of the South-East.
Between July and August this year, at least 12 people were killed in Imo communities, while in Anambra, three siblings were abducted in Amansea, leading to the killing of the only boy after resisting the kidnappers’ demands.