By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
The human cost of the South-East security crisis was starkly revealed on Tuesday as a victim of the endemic violence recounted his terrifying escape from a community where he was targeted for death. His testimony came during the launch of a damning report by Amnesty International (AI) Nigeria, which is now demanding immediate accountability for the widespread killings across the region.
Nduka Ozor, a native of Agwa community in Imo State, disclosed the harrowing details during the presentation of AI’s report, “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria.”
Ozor’s flight was triggered by the brutal murder of his own brother, who was abducted and killed after speaking out against the rising lawlessness.
Recounting the ordeal, Ozor revealed the total breakdown of societal order in his home area.
“I ran away from my community because I was going marked for death,” Ozor stated. “For three months, I didn’t visit my community, churches were closed, schools shutdown. In all these, nothing was heard from the government.”
He lamented the lack of security aid, underscoring the feeling of abandonment among residents.
Amnesty International Exposes ‘Free-For-All Impunity’
The Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, used the report launch in Enugu to demand an urgent investigation into the killings and other human rights violations. He asserted that the failure of authorities to address the crisis has created a “free-for-all reign of impunity” in which both state and non-state actors commit serious crimes.
The AI report documents unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests at the hands of rampaging gunmen, state-backed paramilitary outfits, vigilantes, criminal gangs, and cult groups.
Sanusi disclosed that the pervasive violence has claimed at least 1,844 lives between January 2021 and June 2023.
Specifically, gunmen killed over 400 people in Imo State between January 2019 and December 2021, often emerging unmasked to carry out attacks on residents and police stations.
Gunmen Demand Money, Instill Fear
The Director noted that the current cycle of bloodshed was exacerbated by the brutal clampdown on pro-Biafra protests since 2015, which created the existing climate of fear. Assassinations and attacks on security personnel have become chilling reminders of the regional insecurity.
Testimonies gathered for the report, based on interviews with 100 people including survivors and victims’ families, described how gunmen routinely demand money from communities during burial ceremonies and weddings.
A survivor, identified only as Ebulie, from Ihiala, told Amnesty International: “The ‘unknown gunmen’ are armed… If they come for an attack, anyone who blocks their way will be killed. It has been a terrible situation, and people are scared.”
The report provides concrete leads for authorities to open an investigation aimed at ending impunity and delivering justice for the victims.