By CSOs
The consortium of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Virgin Heart Foundation (VHF) and Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI) expresses concern over recent reports of political intimidation, disruption of opposition gatherings, interference with civic activities and alleged misuse of security institutions across Southeast Nigeria.
These developments reinforce the warnings contained in the communiqué of our One-Day Focused Closed-Door Accountability Dialogue on Civic Space, held in Owerri, Imo State, on 23 September 2026, with support from the Fund for Global Human Rights through the Action Group on Free Civic Space.
The dialogue formed part of the project, “From Silencing to Accountability: Challenging the Securitisation of Civic Space in Southeast Nigeria,” covering Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States. Its central conclusion remains urgent: durable security requires lawful conduct, accountable institutions and the freedom of citizens to organise, report, criticise and participate in public affairs without intimidation.
This statement updates the consortium’s concerns following the dialogue. We are concerned about subsequent developments after the September meeting.
Recent Developments Demand Urgent Attention
In Enugu State, the reported attack on a political meeting in Obuoffia-Awkunanaw and the subsequent prosecution and remand of Ani Chidi raise serious questions about political participation, documentation of violence, and impartial law enforcement. The Police maintain that Chidi was prosecuted over alleged cyberbullying and threats arising from his publications, rather than for recording the attack. That explanation must be assessed through independent scrutiny of the evidence and proceedings. Authorities must also demonstrate progress in investigating the underlying violence and protecting witnesses.
Reports concerning the late-October withdrawal of a venue booked for an opposition town hall in Enugu also require clarification. Organisers alleged political interference; Governor Peter Mbah denied directing the withdrawal. These competing accounts underscore the need for transparent explanations and safeguards protecting access to lawful political gatherings. Responsibility must be established through evidence.
In Ebonyi State, allegations reported in early November include intimidation of opposition candidates, detention of a party women’s leader and interference with a political organiser’s business premises. These allegations require independent investigation. State authorities have disputed claims of political repression, while the Police have affirmed their neutrality. Those assurances must be supported by verifiable protection, lawful custody practices and impartial investigation.
In Anambra State, RULAAC’s intervention concerning the 17 October Achalla incident raises wider concerns about the accountability of state-supported security structures. Reports concern the shooting and disappearance of Chibuzor, also known as “Ability,” the arrest and alleged brutalisation of Mr. Jude Nwoye Anokwu and others, and alleged interference with police bail. Mr. Ken Emeakayi, Special Adviser on Community Security to Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, has disputed allegations concerning the security outfit’s involvement in private disputes. The reported events require an investigation independent of those implicated, immediate clarification of Chibuzor’s whereabouts and condition, and preservation of custody, operational, and medical records.
Although the Achalla allegations arise from a reported land dispute, their civic implications are substantial. Citizens cannot participate freely in community affairs or challenge powerful interests if asserting their rights exposes them to armed intimidation, disappearance or detention.
In Imo State, the reported October detention and subsequent release on bail of lawyer and human-rights defender Chinedu Agu, following a petition connected with an internal NBA dispute, reinforce concerns about recourse to criminal process in disagreements involving criticism and accountability. His account requires fair examination alongside the petition and the Police response. Lawyers, journalists and defenders must remain free to raise public-interest concerns, with any criminal allegation investigated impartially and on credible evidence.
These incidents differ in their facts and procedural status. They nevertheless demand a common institutional response: establish what happened, protect those at risk, disclose the lawful basis for coercive action and ensure consequences where wrongdoing is proved.
Political Competition Must Remain Open
As preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify, shrinking civic space can undermine political competition long before polling day. Violence, threats, selective arrests, discriminatory venue restrictions, and pressure on community leaders can prevent citizens from hearing alternatives and making free choices.
No political party owns a state. No governor owns a local government or community. Public officials cannot commit an electorate to a candidate or party. Citizens retain the right to support, reject or change their political preferences without punishment.
A governor’s endorsement is a political opinion. It does not bind the electorate. Opposition organising is a legitimate democratic activity, and security institutions must protect it on equal terms.
We Therefore Call For The Following Immediate Measures:
- Guarantee equal protection for lawful political activity. Governors, local government authorities and security agencies must protect peaceful meetings, consultations, campaigns and civic gatherings across all five Southeast states. Any restriction must have a clear legal basis and be necessary, proportionate and open to challenge.
- Investigate violence and intimidation impartially. The Inspector-General of Police and relevant oversight institutions should ensure credible investigations into reported attacks on political gatherings, threats against opponents and alleged interference with lawful civic activity. Investigations must examine perpetrators, sponsors and any official complicity or failure of protection.
- Prevent the partisan use of public institutions. Police, intelligence agencies, vigilantes and state-supported security outfits must operate within their lawful mandates. Public funds, vehicles, personnel and regulatory powers must not be deployed to intimidate opponents, compel defections or obstruct lawful political organising.
- Protect liberty and judicial safeguards. Every arrest must rest on an identifiable lawful basis. Detainees must have access to lawyers, family and necessary medical care. Prosecutors and courts must scrutinise evidence, remand applications and bail conditions, and guard against proceedings that turn pre-trial detention into punishment.
- Account for every person taken into custody. Authorities must maintain reliable arrest and transfer records, disclose detainees’ locations through lawful channels and investigate allegations of disappearance or unofficial detention urgently. Families should receive verified information and protection against retaliation.
- Protect journalists, witnesses and human-rights defenders. Reporting political violence, documenting official conduct and demanding accountability must not expose citizens to reprisals. Allegations involving publications should be assessed on their specific facts, with safeguards against retaliatory enforcement.
- Reject political thuggery and coercion. Political leaders must stop recruiting, financing or arming young people for intimidation. Young people should reject deployment against fellow citizens. No political ambition justifies injury, death or the destruction of another person’s livelihood.
- Ensure inclusive participation. Women, young people, students, persons with disabilities and rural communities must have meaningful opportunities to organise, seek office, report threats and participate without discrimination. Electoral and security arrangements must address barriers affecting their safety and access.
- Protect citizens from non-state coercion. Armed groups, criminal gangs and other coercive actors must not dictate whether citizens may work, travel, speak, assemble or vote. Authorities must protect communities while respecting human rights. Citizens must be free to criticise both government and non-state centres of power.
- Activate regional early warning and response. Working through the Southeast Human Rights Bureau, civil society, lawyers, journalists and communities should strengthen confidential reporting, verification, referral and case tracking. INEC, the Police, NHRC and justice institutions should designate accessible focal persons and provide timely feedback on escalated threats.
Accountability Must Produce Measurable Results
The September dialogue called for institutional focal persons and confirmed referral channels within 30 days. That initial period has elapsed. The consortium calls on participating institutions to report their implementation status, including designated contacts, complaints received, action taken, protection provided, and outstanding cases.
Within 14 days of this statement, we request initial written responses from relevant authorities on the concerns raised here. Threats to life and cases involving missing persons require immediate action. A follow-up review should proceed within the six months envisaged by the dialogue.
Government has a duty to protect people from violence. It must discharge that duty through institutions that citizens can trust. Trust grows when complaints receive answers, wrongdoing attracts consequences and political affiliation does not determine access to protection or justice. The Southeast needs an open democratic space in which citizens can debate competing ideas, scrutinise public office holders and choose their representatives freely.
The test of civic freedom is how institutions treat those who question power. The test of democratic security is whether public power protects everyone lawfully, professionally and impartially.
Issued by the Consortium of:
- Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC)
- Virgin Heart Foundation (VHF)
- Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI)
