Amnesty International says it has gathered extensive proof — including the names and addresses of victims — linking the Nigerian military to alleged extrajudicial killings in the South-East.
Speaking during The Morning Brief on Channels Television on Friday, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, explained that the organisation maintains close contact with families of those affected.
“We have our evidence and we are very glad to present those evidence. We are always in touch with families of victims and believe there is a need to do a soul-searching. Let us sit down, look at those cases, find out who did what and when, and make sure that the full weight of the law comes in to ensure justice for the victims,” Sanusi said.
The allegations form part of Amnesty’s newly released report, A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria, which accuses the Nigerian military, police, the Ebube Agu security network, and various non-state actors of committing widespread human rights abuses in the region.
According to the report, more than 1,844 people lost their lives between January 2021 and June 2023. The findings also include accounts of torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and other violations.
The Nigerian military has rejected these claims. Major General Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, insisted that the armed forces do not engage in extrajudicial killings in any part of the country, and that their operations in the South-East have weakened criminal networks.
Sanusi, however, dismissed the Defence Headquarters’ suggestion that Amnesty unfairly targets the military.
“I think what the defence spokesperson said is completely wrong. In the report, we also mentioned places where military men were executed or their barracks attacked. It is not about consistency in condemning the military; what we are doing is the honest thing, saying that we have cases,” he stated.
He noted that many of the alleged killings occurred during security raids in areas believed to be strongholds of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or its armed faction, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). In some cases, people were allegedly taken from their homes and never seen again.
Amnesty’s investigation involved interviews with 100 individuals, 95 of them conducted face-to-face in the South-East. Sanusi said the military was notified about the allegations before the report’s release but failed to respond.
“In this investigation, we interviewed 100 people, 95 of them face-to-face in the South-East. Before releasing the report, we sent the military a letter informing them of the allegations and requesting any information that could help us understand how their operations affect human rights. We received no response,” Sanusi explained.
He stressed that the rights group is not singling out the armed forces.“Our records include victims killed not only by the military, but also by the police and the Ebube Agu, which was set up by some governors to address insecurity but has instead become a tool of abuse,” Sanusi added
