Amnesty International has said 115 people were killed in the South-East region of Nigeria in 4 months by security agents.
In a recent report titled; “Nigeria: At least 115 people killed by security forces in four months in country’s Southeast,”, the group alleged that security agents carriedout the killings between March and June 2021.
The group disclosed that the corpses of the victims were deposited at government hospitals in Imo and Abia states.
The humans rights group also pointed out that at least 21 security personnel were also murdered within three months in Imo adding that more than 500 were arrested after police and military raids.
The group decried the ruthless use of excessive force by security operatives in Imo, Anambra, and Abia states.
“The evidence gathered by Amnesty International paints a damning picture of ruthless excessive force by Nigerian security forces in Imo, Anambra and Abia states,”
“Nigeria’s government has responded with a heavy hand to killings and violence widely attributed to the armed group calling itself Eastern Security Network, the armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a pro-Biafra movement.
“According to government officials, the ESN killed dozens of security operatives and attacked at least ten public buildings, including prisons and police stations, from January to June. In response, security forces comprising military, police, and Department of State Services have killed dozens of gunmen, as well as civilians, where attacks have been committed.”
The human rights groups estimated that the death toll from violence between January and June 2021 in Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi states might run into the hundreds, adding that the police said ESN fighters killed 21 of its personnel in Imo State alone.