Escalating Violence and Impunity in Nigeria’s South-East
Recent data from Amnesty International has highlighted a disturbing pattern of violence in Nigeria’s South-East region, where over 1,800 people, including a monarch, have been killed in just over two years. The human rights organization has accused both armed separatists and security forces of widespread human rights abuses and unchecked violence.
The report, which spans from January 2021 to June 2023, reveals that at least 1,844 individuals lost their lives due to attacks by unknown gunmen, local militias, and state-backed security groups. These incidents occurred across several states, including Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. The figures were compiled through victim interviews, police reports, and media verification, pointing to a decade of impunity in the region.
One particularly harrowing case cited in the report involves the attack on the palace of HRH Eze Ignatius Asor, a traditional ruler in the Obudu Agwa community of Imo State. On November 14, 2022, about 30 armed men arrived in a convoy of Sienna buses, opened fire in the palace courtyard, and executed the monarch and two visiting chiefs. Witnesses reported that the attackers fired more than 16 bullets into the traditional ruler’s body before fleeing. No arrests have been made since the incident.
The violence traces its roots back to 2019, when armed factions began enforcing sit-at-home orders linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a banned separatist group. While IPOB has denied involvement in civilian killings, Amnesty’s findings indicate that various splinter cells now operate independently, launching coordinated assaults on police stations, markets, and public officials.
Imo State has been the hardest hit, recording over 400 deaths between 2019 and 2021, with many claiming the figure is under-reported. Anambra and Ebonyi states also saw significant casualties. The group’s latest data shows that since December 2022, over 100 additional fatalities have been documented, many of them victims of midnight raids, assassinations, and reprisal attacks.
In its investigation, Amnesty described the attackers’ methods as calculated and terroristic. In some communities, including Oguta and Izombe in Imo and Lilu in Anambra, residents have fled en masse as gunmen impose levies, loot livestock, and burn homes. Traditional institutions, which often serve as intermediaries in local disputes, have been decimated.
Alongside these atrocities, the report also notes serious allegations against government forces and the regional Ebube Agu security network. Established in 2021 by south-east governors to curb insecurity, this outfit has been accused of arbitrary arrests, torture, and summary executions.
According to Amnesty, the twin layers of violence from non-state actors and security agencies have created a climate of fear and mistrust. Families of victims often face intimidation when seeking justice, while police investigations are either stalled or inconclusive.
“The lack of accountability emboldens perpetrators,” Amnesty said. “Communities now live between the terror of the gunmen and the fear of those meant to protect them.”
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has denied Amnesty’s claims, stating that the armed forces operate strictly within the law and conduct measured and intelligence-driven operations in volatile areas. However, civil society groups and local media continue to document reports of extrajudicial killings and property destruction during military raids in Imo, Anambra, and Ebonyi states.
The killings have also taken a toll on the region’s economy. Many small businesses have shut down due to constant stay-at-home orders, while farmers and traders avoid major highways out of fear of ambush.
Amnesty’s 2025 report, titledA Decade of Impunity, calls on the federal government to prioritize justice and accountability for victims. The organization urges Abuja to establish an independent judicial panel to investigate all killings, disappearances, and cases of torture in the south-east, and to provide compensation to families of victims.
The group also demands an end to the militarization of civilian spaces and greater oversight of regional security outfits. “Security must not come at the cost of human rights,” the report said. “Without justice, peace in the south-east will remain elusive.”
The situation has continued to deteriorate over the past few months. In May 2025, at least 30 travelers were killed when gunmen attacked vehicles along the Okigwe-Owerri highway in Imo State, setting over 20 vehicles ablaze. That attack came just weeks after 15 villagers were abducted in Anambra, while four policemen were killed in a separate ambush near Ezza North in Ebonyi.
“Act decisively to prevent Nigeria’s south-east from sliding into another full-blown conflict zone,” Amnesty said.