By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety) has alleged extra-judicial killings and human rights abuses by security operatives across states in the South East geo-political zone.
In its report, titled: “Ocean of Innocent Blood Flowing in Eastern Nigeria,” the group alleged that over 32,300 unarmed civilians were killed by security forces, including the Army, police, and paramilitaries, between August 2015 and December 2024.
The security forces allegedly used the pretext of “IPoB/ESN/Biafra terrorism” to carry out these killings, which mainly affected Igbo citizens.
According to the report’s author, Emeka Umeagbalasi, a criminologist and security expert, the security forces secretly massacred 22,500 unarmed civilians and openly killed 9,800 others
The report highlights the widespread human rights abuses, including the unlawful detention and torture of tens of thousands of people, with over 6,000 blindfolded and dumped in secret military locations and prisons across seven northern states.
The destruction of over 6,000 civilian houses resulted in N450bn in losses, displacing 180,000 people, while over one million others were forced to abandon their homes and flee.
Additionally, an estimated 2.7 million illicit small arms and light weapons have been proliferated in the region.
The report further alleged that government-linked and non-government-linked armed entities killed over 14,500 defenceless citizens, seized 65,000 people at gunpoint, and forced 55,000 to pay ransoms estimated at N500bn.
It’s worth noting that similar reports of human rights abuses have been documented in the past, including the killing of 1,400 defenceless citizens by security forces and Jihadists in Eastern Nigeria between October 2020 and December 2021.
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law called for urgent action to address these human rights abuses, including prosecution and compensation for victims’ families.
The report’s author has also urged the Nigerian government to prevent further abuses and ensure accountability within the security forces.
The researched report is 282 pages long and backed by 76 strong recommendations, a 17-paragraph affidavit of facts, and 76 recommendations.
