A Decade of Impurity: Amnesty International report on South East validates RULAAC’s findings, says Nwanguma
Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, has praised Amnesty International’s report “A Decade of Impunity” for highlighting human rights issues in South-East Nigeria. Nwanguma noted that the report confirms earlier findings by RULAAC and other civil society groups about the region’s human rights situation.
Nwanguma revealed how a recent investigative journalism project anchored by ace journalist, Juliana Francis, with support from RULAAC, documented cases of arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, torture, extortion, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, disobedience of court orders directing police to compensate victims, reprisal attacks, destruction of homes, and the failure of oversight bodies to investigate and ensure justice.
The harrowing testimonies, provided by survivors, relatives of victims, human rights defenders, and lawyers were corroborated by Amnesty International’s latest report: “A Decade of Impunity,” which documents similarly staggering toll of violence between January 2021 and June 2023, during which at least 1,844 people were killed in the South-East.
According to the Amnesty International report, the state and non-state actors involved in human rights violations include; Security agencies and the state-backed Ebube Agu paramilitary force, IPOB/ESN and so-called “unknown gunmen, Cult groups and herder militias.
Nwanguma said: “These actors have committed gross violations including killings, torture, enforced disappearances, burning of homes, forced displacement, and denial of access to education through violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders.
“It is deeply concerning that South-East governors refused to grant Amnesty International an audience to discuss these findings, signaling indifference or complicity at a time when citizens face daily insecurity and abuses. Equally troubling is the Nigeria Police’s predictable dismissal of the report as “exaggerated” before any meaningful review—an attitude that has accompanied every prior exposure of abuse.
“RULAAC reiterates that what is urgently required is not more documentation, but political will. We call on the Federal Government and South-East governors to:
“- Take Amnesty International’s findings seriously and implement its recommendations;
“- Conduct prompt, independent, and impartial investigations into all violations by state and non-state actors;
“- Ensure justice and compensation for victims and families;
“- Criminalize and end enforced disappearances;
“- Provide humanitarian support to displaced communities; and
“- Develop innovative measures to ensure children’s education is not disrupted by insecurity.
“RULAAC’s position, consistently echoed at forums such as the Enugu South-East Stakeholders’ Summit co-hosted with the Nigerian Bar Association, aligns with these recommendations. What is required now is urgent action to end impunity, restore trust, and protect the lives and dignity of South-East citizens.”
