By DEBORAH AKPEDE

Amnesty International has called on the Federal Government to urgently investigate the widespread killings, enforced disappearances, and other grave human rights violations in the South-East region of Nigeria.

The organisation made the call during a launch of its new report,” A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria” on Thursday in Ikeja.

The Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Mr Isa Sanusi, said that the organisation documented widespread violence carried out by both state and non-state actors, including unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and attacks by armed groups.

“At least 1,844 people were killed between January 2021 and June 2023 alone which left thousands dead and displaced, stems from atrocities committed by both state and non-state actors.

“Gunmen, described locally as “unknown gunmen,” have carried out deadly raids across Imo, Anambra, and other states, killing over 400 people in Imo alone between 2019 and 2021,” he said.

He alleged that security forces and the state-backed Ebube paramilitary outfit committed serious abuses, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances.

Sanusi said that the report highlighted how insecurity had disrupted daily life in the region, with sit-at-home orders enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), paralysed schools, markets, and businesses.

He said that its findings were based on field research and interviews with over 100 people including survivors, victims’ relatives, community leaders, and lawyers between April and November 2023.

“The people paint a picture of communities turned into “ungoverned spaces,” with traditional rulers sacked, residents displaced, and cult groups thriving in the absence of state protection.

“Survivors recounted harrowing attacks in which armed assailants stormed villages, demanded money at public gatherings, and burnt homes of those who resisted,” he said.

According to Sanusi, the federal government must launch a transparent, impartial, and effective investigations into the atrocities, restore security, and provide justice and reparations to victims.

“Authorities must urgently conduct fair, open, and unbiased investigations into reported crimes, emphasising Nigeria’s duty under its constitution and international law to safeguard lives, freedom, and security in the region.

“It must ensure suspected perpetrators are brought to justice in fair trials, no matter who they are, and that victims and their families have access to justice and effective remedies,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Amnesty International is an international organisation that campaigns to protect human rights of individuals and groups across the world. (NAN)

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