Amnesty International has berated the federal government over its persistent failure to address the security crisis in the South-East region that has created a free-for-all reign of impunity.
This was contained in a statement by the Social Media and Communication Officer, Amnesty International, Michael Christian on the report by the group on “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria.”
The group decried that numerous state and non-state actors have committed serious human rights violations and killed at least 1,844 people between January 2021 and June 2023 in the South-East region.
According to the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, the federal government must as a matter of urgency uphold the constitutional and international human rights obligations of citizens from the region.
He said: “The Nigerian authorities’ brutal clampdown on pro-Biafra protests from August 2015 plunged the South-East region into an endless cycle of bloodshed, which has created a climate of fear and left many communities vulnerable. Assassinations of prominent personalities and attacks on highways, security personnel and facilities are chilling reminders of the region’s insecurity.
“The government must stop turning a blind eye to the unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and destruction of properties in the South-East region. Authorities must live up to their constitutional and international human rights obligations including by ensuring all suspected perpetrators are brought to justice in fair trial, no matter who they are, and that victims and their families have access to justice and effective remedies.
“No one knows exactly the number of people killed in the southeast since August 2015. Many people have been declared missing or forcibly disappeared. The number of high-profile killings and the consistent fear of possible attacks, anywhere and anytime, show how badly the authorities are failing to protect lives and property and ensure law and order. Impunity for these human rights crimes continues to have a chilling effect on the enjoyment of other human rights.
“The Nigerian authorities must uphold their constitutional and international human rights obligations by guaranteeing, protecting and ensuring the rights to life, physical integrity, and liberty security and safety of the people and stemming the tide of rampant insecurity in South-East region. Authorities must undertake prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigations into all allegations of violations and abuses committed by state and non-state actors in the region.”
