. . . 300 disappeared, 80 communities invaded, at least 1,200 civilian houses and other properties burned down or destroyed, 30,000 displaced

“Imo State of Nigeria under Hope Uzodinma as Governor has become so unsafe and insecure that from Jan 2021 to May 2023; a period of 29 months or two years and five months, the deployed security forces and allied militias have killed at least 900 defenseless and unarmed citizens, wounded 700, arbitrarily arrested 3500, disappeared 300, invaded 80 communities in at least 20 of the State’s 27 Local Government Areas where at least 1,200 civilian houses and other properties including market stores were atrociously burned down or destroyed. The attacks by security forces and allied militias have also displaced at least 30,000 occupants or owners of the 1,200 burnt or destroyed houses. The fears generated by the egregious and grisly attacks have forced at least 500,000 defenseless citizens in productive age-brackets to flee their homes and relocate to places considered to be safer to avoid being abducted and killed in custody or shot and killed at sight; or sexually harassed or raped to death in captivity, in the case of young females.”

The above forms part of the highlights of a 33-paged ‘special research and investigative report’ recently released by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety). Excerpts of the Report were contained in a statement issued Thursday, May 25, 2023 in Enugu, Eastern Nigeria, signed by Intersociety Board Chair Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Campaign and Publicity Department, Chidinma Udegbunam Esquire; and Head, Int’l Contacts and Mobilization, Ositadinma Agu.

“The Report,” according to the statement, “also found that armed non-state actors (Fulani Jihadists, counterfeit agitators, death squads, street violent criminal entities, etc), numbering eight in Imo State had in the 29 months gone by killed 700 (400 in captivity and 300 in open shootings) and abducted 900 others.”

The Report Indicated that “95% of investigations into “Biafra Terrorism” in Imo (is) inconclusive”.

It said: “Not less than 95% of criminal investigations launched by the drafted security agencies in Imo State and the South-East have ended up being ‘inconclusive’. Owing to indiscriminate use of ethnic and religious profiling, false labeling and class criminalization, most of the ‘investigations’ launched by the drafted security forces into “Biafra Terrorism” in Imo have ended up being inconclusive. The inconclusiveness of the 95% of the criminal investigations is further fueled by rumor mongering, hearsay conclusions and biased and false security intelligence as well as general lack of modern criminal investigation skills and tools. The Nigerian Military especially the Army which existentially lacks tools and skills for criminal investigations involving citizens not covered by the Armed Forces Act of 2004 has earned notoriety in ‘failed criminal investigations’; thereby swelling its extrajudicial killings, unlawful executions, abductions and disappearances’ records. The drafted security forces have generally abandoned modern day technology and mental skill-ruled criminal investigations for ‘short-cuts’ including indiscriminate shootings, killings, and custodial torture and disappearances. DSS in Imo also uses custodial torture and starvation ‘short-cuts’ in place of diligent and ‘man-mental-machine’ driven criminal intelligence gathering and investigations.”

The Report equally disclosed that “none of the “Biafra Detainees” in Imo/S/East had been convicted since August 2015”.

“There are no verifiable records showing that the Nigerian Government through its various police and DSS prosecution departments and the Federal and State Ministries of Justice have secured any conviction or convictions against those arrested and arbitrarily detained for “seriously involved in Biafra Matters” or “Biafra terrorism”,” the Report said.

“In other words,” according to it, “there are no records of convictions secured by the Government of Nigeria or any State Government in South-East and South-South against any unarmed citizen or group of unarmed citizens arrested and detained for “Biafra terrorism” in Imo State since January 2021; or in South-East and South-South since August 2015. It must be remembered that clampdown and crackdown on unarmed and defenseless citizens and their properties including dwelling houses began in August 2015 when the Government of Nigeria unleashed its coercive instruments on them using ethnic and religious profiling, class criminalization, false labeling and stigmatization. The present Government of Nigeria which leaves office on 29^thMay 2023 or in four days time had been tagging street protesters, social function attendants or returnees and other unarmed and defenseless citizens in the East as “IPOB or Biafra terrorists/sponsors/supporters”. The drafted security forces also labeled sundry street criminal activities in the Region as “IPOB terrorism”; and unleashed mayhem on unarmed civilian population and their properties. Despite the Nigerian Government deployment of deadly force and prosecutorial vindictiveness on unarmed and defenseless Eastern Nigeria Judeo-Christian-traditionalist population since 2015 or a period of eight years, no convictions have been secured till date especially by the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS-two leading accusing, investigating and prosecuting authorities. Also owing to incurable lack of powers of “detention, investigation and prosecution”, the Nigerian Army and other branches of the Military have ended up shooting, killing and disappearing hundreds of unarmed and defenseless civilians abducted and unlawfully held in captivity.”

•Governor Uzodimma

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