Amnesty International has confirmed that more than 400 people were killed in Imo State between January 2019 and December 2021 as gunmen attacks and reprisal violence escalated across communities.
In a statement released on Thursday, the global human rights organisation detailed how armed groups repeatedly raided communities, targeting residents, police stations, and vigilante offices. The attacks, it said, often involved armed men emerging from hideouts without masks before launching assaults that triggered deadly reprisals.
Amnesty International also highlighted how civil restrictions enforced during the period worsened the crisis. It cited the sit-at-home order declared on August 9, 2021 by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), noting that the directive resulted in widespread human rights abuses, including beatings and killings of people who defied the order.
The organisation said the restrictions crippled economic and social activities across the South-East, with schools shut, examinations disrupted, and markets closed in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
Amnesty warned that the combination of armed attacks and enforced civil restrictions has deepened insecurity, disrupted education, and intensified economic hardship in affected communities. It urged authorities to take urgent steps to protect lives and uphold human rights in the region.
