Amnesty International has called on the Federal Government to conduct thorough and impartial investigations into the ongoing insecurity in Nigeria’s South-East, rather than broadly attributing attacks to “unknown gunmen.”
The organization said many of the perpetrators are known to residents but continue to act with impunity.
Speaking in Lagos at the launch of a report titled “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria,” the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, stated that the blanket label of “unknown gunmen” has discouraged investigations and worsened the region’s security crisis.
“The Nigerian authorities must begin to address the security crisis in the South-East by restoring safety, protecting lives and property, and conducting transparent and effective investigations into killings, assassinations, enforced disappearances, and other atrocities committed by both state and non-state actors since August 2015,” Sanusi stated.
According to the 124-page report, a total of 1,844 people were killed in the region between January 2021 and June 2023, with over 400 deaths recorded in Imo State alone between 2019 and 2021.
The report, compiled over two years, focuses on human rights violations in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
Sanusi said the Nigerian government’s persistent failure to investigate and prosecute those responsible has allowed a “free-for-all reign of impunity” by state-backed militias, criminal gangs, cult groups, and even government forces.
“This report documents unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests by armed groups, paramilitary outfits, and security agencies. The authorities now have enough leads to initiate investigations and bring perpetrators to justice,” he said.
Amnesty International noted that the security breakdown can be traced back to the Nigerian government’s heavy-handed response to pro-Biafra protests in 2015, which triggered a cycle of violence in the region.
The report also detailed that in many attacks, gunmen operated without masks and in full view of residents, extorting money during social gatherings such as burials and weddings, and violently retaliating against communities that resist.
A survivor from Ihiala, Anambra State, told Amnesty International: “These gunmen come with guns, cutlasses, and machetes. If anyone tries to stop them, they kill without hesitation.”
The Nigerian government has repeatedly blamed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), for most of the violence in the region. However, IPOB has denied involvement in the activities of the so-called “unknown gunmen.”
Amnesty’s report, however, also implicates IPOB/ESN in human rights abuses, especially following the enforcement of a sit-at-home order on 9 August 2021. The order led to beatings, killings, school closures, and economic paralysis across the South-East.
“No one’s life should be taken without due process of law,” Sanusi said, calling for peaceful resolution strategies and urging the government to stop using force to suppress dissent.
The report also revealed that many residents have not visited their ancestral homes in years due to fear of attacks or abductions.
Cultural ceremonies are now held in other parts of the country, and entire communities have been displaced.
In areas like Agwa and Izombe (Imo State) and Lilu (Anambra State), armed groups have taken control, displacing traditional rulers and imposing dominance.
In Anambra, cult groups and drug gangs reportedly operate with impunity in towns like Obosi, Awka, Onitsha, Ogidi, and Umuoji.
Amnesty International accused the regional security outfit, Ebube Agu, established by South-East governors in April 2021, of serious abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and destruction of homes.
Security agencies, including the military and police, were also implicated in unlawful killings and enforced disappearances during operations in the region.
Despite the scale of violations, victims and their families are yet to receive justice or compensation.
“Hundreds of people have been arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared. Business activities have collapsed. Hunger is increasing. Communities are emptying,” Sanusi said.
In some cases, the report found that families were forced to pay between ₦200,000 and ₦500,000 to armed groups in order to safely bury their loved ones. Many corpses remain unburied due to the families’ inability to pay.
Lead researcher Maurice Chukwu said more than 80% of the report’s interviews were conducted physically, involving over 100 individuals, including survivors and affected communities. Interviews were held in Igbo, English, and Pidgin. He stressed that the report focused on human rights violations, not self-determination agitations.
“This is a follow-up to our earlier report. It does not address pro-Biafra demands directly but focuses on violence—whether by state actors like Ebube Agu or non-state actors,” Chukwu explained.
Dominic Okoli, Palace Secretary of Lilu community in Anambra, made an emotional appeal to the Federal Government to restore peace to their town.
He said schools have been shut since 2020, and many bodies remain unburied due to fear and insecurity.
Okoli also called for the release of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that his continued detention has worsened tensions in the South-East.
“Lilu was peaceful, even during the civil war. But now we are witnessing relentless violence. Over 25 people have been killed in Lilu alone, and no one has been held accountable,” he said.
Another victim, Nduka Ozor from Agwa community in Imo, whose brother was kidnapped and killed, pleaded with the Federal Government to assist in rebuilding their destroyed homes, schools, markets, and palaces.
The report was launched at an event attended by representatives from government agencies, security institutions, civil society groups, religious bodies, and the US Consulate in Lagos.
It was an emotional gathering, with many participants in tears as survivors and families recounted their harrowing experiences.
Reporting By Innocent Onoh