Rights Group Confirms Killings Of 1710 Civilians In Eastern Region

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, January 7th, 2023

…. Over1800 Abducted From Jan-Dec 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and rule of law Intersociety, has alleged how Six state Actor and non -State Actors in Eastern Nigeria have Jointly sent 1,710 unarmed Civilians to their early graves and Abducted 1,800 from Jan-Dec 2022.

It equally accused the “Army/Military and Police of killing 700 unarmed civilians, abducted 220, burned down 600 homes and sacked 18,000

“Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen slaughtered 410 sedentary easterners and abducted 600

Also, “State armed counterfeit agitators, government unknown gunmen and other violent criminals killed 600 and abducted 100.

“All the affected victims are members of sedentary/indigenous Eastern Christian population with high vulnerability to harm, threat of death or death as against their Eastern pastoral/non indigenous counterparts especially Muslims with least vulnerability to harm, threat of death or death.

“The state actor armed entities troubling the Eastern Nigerian Christian population and their defenseless properties are made up of personnel and high commands of the Nigerian security forces deployed in the East including Army/Military, Army-allied Ebubeagu Militias.
Others alleged are, “Nigeria Police Force’s IRT, STS, CTU, Anti- Cult, Bunkering, Robbery and Kidnapping crack squads and the Spy Police specializing in arrest of civilians and their long detention outside the law as well as custodial torture and other inhuman and degrading treatments or punishments.
“These ‘state actor armed entities’ have become ‘criminal entities’ by abandoning their laid down securitization and policing operational codes including Rules of Engagement to engage in incontrollable murderous and barbarous conducts including indiscriminate stigmatization, ethnic and religious profiling, class criminalization and wanton destruction of civilian lives and properties including indiscriminate burning down or destruction of unarmed civilian homes and other properties.
The statement was jointly signed by the principal officers of the organization which included, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, Criminologist/Researcher and Board Chair, Obianuju Joy Igboeli Esquire, Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law and Chidinma Udegbunam Esquire, Head, Campaign and Publicity Department

“They have also found to have remotely, if not openly aided and abetted murderous and genocidal activities of the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen/other Jihadists and counterfeit the violent activities of the mainstream self -determination agitators and their security outfit with intents to divert public attention and internationally blackening and criminalizing them.

“Strong fingers have also been pointed at them in areas of killings and abductions by street and ethno-religious criminal entities for purposes of criminal enterprise and state jihadism.
“Military, Police Killed 700 Civilians, Arrested 1,100 And Burned Down 600 Civilian Houses
“The deployed military and police in the East had between January and December 2022 crudely, barbarously and atrociously killed 700 civilians and arrested 1100. Out of the 1100 civilian arrests, not less than 220 or 20% were abducted and disappeared without traces by soldiers and policing crack squads.
According to the group, “the named security agencies perpetrated the above outside the law and modern operational ethics and codes.

“Those arrested by soldiers were also found to have run the high risk of never coming back alive for eternity. Among the 220 victims of disappearance, between 50 and 60 are likely to have been killed in military and policing captivity.
“From various accounts recorded by Intersociety including the Obigbo Army war-grade attack of Oct-Nov 2020 in Rivers State, out of every five unarmed civilians arrested by soldiers, four run the high risk of never returning to their families alive.
They further alleged that ” Soldiers of the Nigerian Military had also in 12 months of 2022 burned down or destroyed no fewer than 600 defenseless civilian homes worth billions of naira and sacked over 18,000 from their ancestral homes. In 20 months of Oct 2020 and June 2022, over 1,400 houses were burned down or destroyed by the military and 51,000 civilians rendered homeless.

“The Nigerian Military particularly the Army had never arrested or shot and killed a single Jihadist Fulani Herdsman in the Region in 2022, if not since 2016, adding that Fulani Jihadists allegedly Slaughtered 410 Easterners And Abducted 600 In Jan-Dec 2022.

“The Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and other jihadists militarily aided to invade and occupy forests, bushes, farmlands and strategic roads and their bypasses in the East since 2016, have been responsible for not less than 410 open and captivity killings and 600 abductions since the beginning of January 2022.

” From several investigations carried out by Intersociety and severally published, 260 of the slain Eastern Christians and non- Muslim others met their death in open unprovoked and unwarranted attacks by the jihadists using automatic rifles, machetes and other weapons of death while the remaining 150 deaths occurred in jihadist captivity involving those abducted and held captive, later killed and dumped to decompose at bush or forest paths.
“Enugu State is the worst hit with no fewer than 160 deaths out of the 260 open killings, stressing that the Eha-Amufu in Isiuzo LGA of the State is the worst hit community with 90-100 deaths.
” As much as 70 defenseless lives have been lost in Eha-Amufu communities of Ebor, Umujiovu, Mgbuji and Agu-Amede in Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen attacks that occurred in less than one month on 21-23 Nov 2022, 8-10 Dec 2022 and 18th Dec 2022. The 2022 Jihadist Herdsmen attacks in the area started on 6th January 2022; recording not less than seven attacks in all.

“On Sunday, 18th Dec 2022 attack by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, not less than seven local Christians were killed and scores injured.

“Till date, not only that soldiers of the Nigerian military and personnel of the Nigeria Police and their commanders have done nothing to prevent and curb the attacks, they are also found to have concentrated in raiding innocent Igbo communities for “IPOB/ESN hunts”

“In addition to searching for locals or local vigilantes with Dane guns and other non-prohibited firearms use in hunting and self- defense for purpose of disarming them and making their communities highly vulnerable for Jihadist Herdsmen invasion and attacks.

“The three cases in point are recent Army invasions recorded in Obeagu and Nkalaha Communities in Ishielu in Ebonyi State and Okigwe in Imo State.

It added: ” The invasions left several civilian homes and other defenseless properties razed or burned down beyond repair. In the area of Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen’s captivity killings in Eastern Nigeria, particularly the South-East, Abia State and its Umunneochi and Uturu areas accounted for not less than 90 of the 150 jihadist hideout killings.

“The Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and other jihadists also accounted for not less than 600 abductions since January 2022, out of which 150 were killed in captivity.

“State Armed Counterfeit Agitators And Others Abducted 1000 Easterners and Killed 600

“Eastern Nigeria was also investigated and found to have been flooded and troubled by Government backed armed counterfeit agitators and “Government Unknown Gunmen” with strong roots in Ebonyi and Imo States.

” The armed counterfeit agitators/”Government Unknown Gunmen” and their terror activities are part of strongly suspected Nigerian State false labeling and ethnic profiling measures to counterfeit the violent activities of the Eastern Security Network; a counter jihadist armed group raised in Dec 2020 by a leading self- determination group (IPOB).

“The Nigerian State backed armed counterfeit agitators/“Government Unknown Gunmen” and their atrocious conducts are strongly suspected to have evolved from those behind “Ebubeagu militia formative experiment”.

” Ebubeagu Militia was remotely raised in April 2021 by Nigerian State to counter ‘the Eastern Security Network’. Since then, the Militia outfit has been linked to sundry conduct atrocities including political terrorism and aiding jihadists’ incursion and activities in the East.

“There also seems to be a symbiotic atrocity conduct relationship between Ebubeagu, Military/Police and Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen/other jihadists wrecking havoc in Eastern forests, bushes and farmlands. Since January 2022, the Nigerian State backed armed counterfeit agitators, “Government Unknown Gunmen” and armed street criminal entities hiding in forests and bushes have jointly abducted at least 1000 defenseless persons and killed 600; out of which armed counterfeit agitators/”Government Unknown Gunmen” took responsibility for 300 abductions and 200 deaths.