An updated Special Report by compiled by International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law Onitsha-Nigeria on Friday June 11, 2021, and signed by the body’s Principal Officers that include the following: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Criminologist/Board Chair; Barrister Chinwe Umeche; Barrister Chidimma Udegbunam and Comrade Samuel Kamanyoku.
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law is drawing the urgent and ‘red signals’ attention of Governments of the United States, the UK, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Brazil and the European Union; the Secretary General of the United Nations, the UN Security Council, the United Nations Human Rights and Humanitarian bodies, international human rights and justice bodies, the International Criminal Court, internationally respected persons, international religious freedom bodies and other disciples and apostles of human rights, justice and democracy across the globe.
This urgent international clarion call is sequel to ongoing genocidal attacks on defenseless civilians in Eastern Nigeria, done in total disregard to the country’s international obligations and laid down rules including respect for human rights and sanctity of human life as well as rules governing internal policing operations and armed conflict.
Government Forces And Fulani Herdsmen On Rampage
The ongoing attacks are so horrifying and genocidal that the present Muslim dominated, and controlled security forces and the state backed Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen have laid a siege on the two regions and rapaciously engaged in indiscriminate and wanton killing of their defenseless citizens and falsely labeling them in whole as “terrorists that must be pursued and massively killed”. Just two days ago in a national private television interview, the seat of the country’s Presidency stopped at nothing in further threatening the two regions with a full-scale war including total land, air and sea blockade and attendant mass starvation and economic and humanitarian terrorism. The country’s Presidential Seat also indirectly labeled the citizens of the two regions in whole as “criminals”.
Nigerian Security Forces Now ‘Ethnic Militias’
Intersociety has strongly maintained till date that the present Nigerian Government has caused grave harm to the country’s military, police and other security agencies by turning them into ‘ethnic militias that serve only the interests of the country’s Muslim citizens’ especially members of the Muslim Fulani Ethnic Nationality. Since January 2021, no fewer than 150 defenseless Igbo Christians have been hacked to death by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen across the Southeast and till date, the security forces have looked the other side, to the extent that not even a single Fulani Herdsman has been arrested and put on trial.
But same has not been the case with attacks on security personnel and Government facilities blamed on “unknown gunmen”-who the Government said are Igbos; cashing in on same to presently abduct and disappear thousands and kill hundreds in the two regions since January 2021. Rather than using intelligence-based crime detection, investigation, prosecution skills and their technologies in going after criminal elements including Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, the Nigerian security forces are going about letting loose on unarmed and defenseless Igbo citizens, hatefully targeting and massacring them and falsely labeling them as “terrorists”.
Criminal Characterization With Intent To Genocide And Depopulate
It is therefore on record that Nigeria’s Presidency and its Inspector General of Police have threatened Igbo People and issued several directives to the country’s security forces ‘to kill the citizens of the two regions at will and at sight and wantonly destroy their properties with total disregard to rules of engagements and human rights principles; and in response, the security forces now go about shooting and killing Igbo civilians, falsely labeling them and wantonly burning their properties.
In law, “a citizen is not a criminal unless he/she is fully processed through reasonable suspicion, investigation, and arrest, legally permissible detention, fair trial and fair hearing, conviction and sentencing”. But this is not the case in the present circumstance as defenseless Igbo citizens are indiscriminately and randomly shot and killed or arrested or abducted, shot dead in captivity and criminally labeled without any form of conclusive investigations. Others such as transfer of criminal liability, crude and excessive use of force are also widespread. Citizens arrested unarmed and taken into custody are also indiscriminately killed and falsely labeled. Criminal citizens can only be killed if armed and at the same time combatively involved and violent.
Nigerian Government Is Test-Running Genocide And Depopulation In Imo And Abia
Genocide, derived from the Greek genos (“race”, “tribe”, or “race”) and the Latin cide (”killing”) and defined as “the deliberate and systematic killing, or annihilation, or destruction of a group of people in their large number on the basis of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race”; is up and running in Eastern Nigeria especially since April 2021. This is contrary to tagging of same in several quarters as “looming or impending genocide” in the Southeast. The heinous war crimes act of depopulation, targeted at wiping out the productive and reproductive young male generation of the present Igbo Nation-State and cutting down its future male populations is also up and running at high speed in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo as well as Igbo part of Rivers, Delta, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.
According to our updated findings, Imo and Abia States are the worst hit accounting for majority of the killings, disappearances and abductions or arrests. The recent increase in massacre in the two States was so alarming and shocking that not less 140 civilian deaths were independently projected to have been recorded between 25th May and 1st June 2021; with Imo recording at least 100 civilian deaths and Abia 40. The increase in security forces targeting and killing of defenseless civilians in Imo took a maddening dimension since 5th April and became deadlier between 25th May and 2nd June 2021 following sit at home on 31st May 2021 in honor of the Civil War time persecuted and massacred Igbos.
Killing Of 500 Igbo Christians In Past 160 Days
Unknown to most global citizens and human rights and democratic entities including international watchers, no fewer than 500 civilians, all Igbo Christians have been massacred in eight of the named nine States. The killings took place in the past 160 days or between 1st January and 10th June 2021. While soldiers of the Nigerian Military and Police personnel are responsible for 350 deaths, the state backed Fulani Jihadists accounted for at least 150 deaths perpetrated mostly in Ebonyi State. Not less than 600 civilians have also gone missing mostly in the hands of soldiers and other military personnel and 2500 others have been abducted or arrested and thrown into custody after being controversially labeled. It must be stated further that these new findings by Intersociety were gathered through emerging new facts and reliable ‘closed sources’ and ‘open sources’, media reports, reports from local activists, the victims and their relatives and other eyewitnesses as well as verified videos and photos. Our latest findings were also built on our earlier special report, issued on 31st May 2021.
350 Civilians Killed In Past 160 Days
Soldiers of the Nigerian military and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force are responsible for shooting and killing no fewer than 350 Igbo civilians, all Christians; out of which soldiers and other military personnel accounted for 210 deaths or 70% and Police and others 140 others. The shooting and killing of over 90% of these defenseless and unarmed citizens have also been found to be directed and targeted at innocent and defenseless citizens; shot and killed on the grounds of their ethnicity and religion. Most of those shot and killed between May and 10th June are young members of male segment of the Igbo population. Out of the 350 killings across the eight States since January 2021, Imo and Abia recorded about 68% or 230 deaths.
In other words, not less than 150 civilian lives were lost in Imo since January 2021 or between 1st January and 10th June 2021; a period of 160 days and not less than 100 were killed in one week or between 25th May and 1st June 2021. The killings in Imo majorly took place in Owerri and environs and Orlu and environs. Abia State recorded the second largest number of civilian deaths with 80 killings which majorly took place in Aba and environs and Umuahia and environs. Killings were also reported in Asa and Ohafia parts of the State. In Rivers State, no fewer than 40 civilian lives were lost. Akwa Ibom State accounted for 35 civilian lives, Anambra 30 civilian lives, Ebonyi 25 civilian lives and Cross River 20 civilian lives. Delta State is recorded with no civilian lives lost, but is likely to be among those States with forced disappearances and custodial killings or unlawful executions.
The 350 “circumstantially ascertainable or projectable” killings included those instantly shot dead and those arrested unarmed and killed. The number did not include victims of military abductions, who were abducted and bundled or taken to undisclosed or secret locations where they were killed and buried in secrecy. Also independently investigated and found was the fact that out of the entire military and police killings including the referenced 350 extrajudicial killings, the non-state actor violent citizens combatively involved were not more than 30 in the whole; meaning that over 90% of all the slain citizens were killed extra-judicially and outside due process and law. Over 90% of them were also falsely labeled or criminally stigmatised.
600 Abducted And Disappeared In Captivity In Past 160 Days
The number of defenseless civilians dominated by young male Igbo citizens, abducted and disappeared between 1st January and 10th June 2021 has now risen to at least 600. The security operatives responsible for 70% of the disappearances are soldiers of the Nigerian Army and other military personnel, while Police and DSS accounted for the remaining 30%. Till date, the whereabouts of these abducted civilians are neither available in their families’ records nor in the official records of the Nigeria Police Force. By the existing laws of Nigeria, Nigeria Police Force, not the Military is legally charged with the responsibility of ‘arrest, detention, administrative bail, investigation and prosecution of the reasonably suspected criminal citizens.
Intersociety is reasonably presuming the 600 abducted and disappeared citizens as ‘having been killed in captivity or unlawfully executed’. This shall stand until the contrary is established. The 600 abductees are part of not less than 2,500 arrested or abducted defenseless civilians by police, soldiers and DSS across the nine named States. By law including the recent judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, “Nigerian Army and any other branch of the Armed Forces lack power to arrest, detain, investigate, torture and prosecute citizens who are not subject to the Armed Forces Act of 2004 or any other military law in force”. Yet the Army has flouted and breached the law including the judicial pronouncement and still rapaciously engaged in indiscriminate abduction of civilian citizens from their homes or on their way home from work, etc.
2500 Abducted Or Arrested And Held In Past 160 Days
Soldiers, Police and DSS are collectively responsible for abduction or arrest of not less than 2,500 civilians in the named nine states. Out of this number, 600 represent forced disappearances and 1,900 others are those arrested and held in police cells or remanded in Prisons and they include the recently transported over 300 Igbo citizens dumped in Benue Prison facilities. Intersociety has analyzed and found that in Imo State where not less than 700 were abducted or arrested, Police and DSS are holding 200, Prisons or Correctional Centers at least 170, Army 100 and ‘outside’ (i.e. those bundled and held in Benue Prisons) 130.
In Abia State with at least 420 abductees or arrestees, Police and DSS are holding 200, Army and Navy 100, Prisons 70 and outside 50. In Ebonyi State with 350 abductees or arrestees, Police and DSS are holding 200, Army 60, Prisons 50 and outside 40. In Rivers State with 350 abductees or arrestees, Army is accountable for 150 abductees, Police and DSS 150 and Prisons 50. In Anambra State with 250 abductees or arrestees; Police and DSS are holding 150, Army and Navy 50, Prisons 20 and outside 30. In Delta State with 150 abductees or arrestees, Army and Police are holding 100 and Prisons 50. In Cross River State with 150 abducted or arrested Igbo Christian citizens, Police and DSS are holding 80 and Army 70. In Enugu State with 150 abductees or arrestees, Police and DSS are holding 60, Prisons 40, Army 30 and outside 20. In Akwa Ibom State with 100 abductees or arrestees, Police and DSS account for 70, Army 20 and Prisons 10.
235 Security Personnel Killed In Past 160 Days
Not less than 235 security operatives have been killed by “unknown Gunmen” across the named nine States in the past 160 days and they involved 48 soldiers, 120 police officers, fifteen Civil Defense personnel, eight Customs officers, seven Air Force personnel, five Naval personnel and 31 Community Policing vigilantes; out of this number, 175 were lost in the Southeast and 60 in the South-south States of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta. The killing of those security personnel and attacks on Government facilities remain strongly condemned. Also contrary to false information given by the Brigade Commander of 34 Brigade, Obinze, near Owerri, Brig Gen Raymond Utsaha, it is our investigative finding that Police, Army and other military personnel are solely responsible for 99% of civilians killed in the Southeast and not “IPOB”.
State Backed Jihadist Herdsmen Killed 150 Igbo Christians In Past 160 Days
Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen aided by the present Government of Nigeria to invade the two regions and settle in their forests, bushes and farmlands since 2016 have since January 2021 or in the past 160 days hacked not less than 150 Igbo Christians to death and till date, not even one Jihadist Fulani Herdsman has been apprehended by Army, Police or DSS and put on trial. Our archived statistics showed that no fewer than 30 Igbo Christians were hacked to death in the March 29, 2021, Jihadist Herdsmen attacks in about six communities in Ishielu, Ebonyi State and Ihamufu in Enugu State. In April 2021, nine Igbo Christians were abducted and hacked to death by Jihadists in Kibiya District of Kano State and between March and April 2021, not less than 20 Igbo Christians including the President General of Omor Community were hacked to death in the forests of Oyi, Anambra East, Awka South and Ayamelum Local Government Areas of Anambra State In a series of killings that swept across Ngbo and other neighboring communities in Ohakwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State carried out by same Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen in April, over 17 Igbo Christians were hacked to death and on the night of 30th/31st May 2021, not less than 52 Igbo Christians were killed in Igbo boundary communities between Ebonyi and Benue States. Just yesterday, 9th June 2021, at Ikpa Ora, between Umulolo (Okigwe) and Arondizogu, along Okigwe-Arondizogu Road, at least 12 Igbo Christian passengers were waylaid by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and abducted and forcefully taken into the nearby forest and till date, their safety and whereabouts have remained unknown. Attached Photos: Obinna Ejekwu, 30 and Onyebuchi Amadi, 27 killed by Police in Umuahia on 29th May 2021 and falsely labeled.
