SAHARA REPORTERS
The World Igbo Congress (WIC) and several other international groups have joined the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), in condemning in strongest terms, the extrajudicial killings, forced disappearance and destructions in Nigeria’s South-East region by state actors and non-state actors.
The groups, which are also backed by religious leaders, academic experts and human rights lawyers, while expressing their support for the Intersociety’s reports on “Warzone Situation” in Eastern Nigeria, called on the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the issues raised in the reports.
They called on the UN Human Rights Rapporteurs and the International Criminal Court to urgently intervene, investigate and hold perpetrators involved in the killings in the South-East accountable.
They also urged the incoming US President, Donald Trump’s administration to adopt the Intersociety’s reports as working documents on human rights and international development partnership policies on Nigeria and its government.
The reports which were unveiled on December 22, 2024, in Enugu State in the South-East contained revelations regarding the “warzone” situation in Eastern Nigeria, particularly in the South-East, covering August 2015 to December 2024 or a period of nine years and four months.
The reports, titled: “Ocean Of Innocent Blood Flowing In Eastern Nigeria: 282 pages” and “Human Rights Made In Nigeria: 154 pages”; “are a catalogue of armed state actor and armed non state actor atrocities in the East since August 2015 (August 30, 2015-December 31, 2024).
The reports stated that during the period under review, “The Nigerian Security Forces (NSFs) unlawfully killed 32,300 defenseless citizens including the abducted and disappeared; tortured and bodily lacerated tens of thousands; burned down or razed 6000 civilian homes and allied properties valued at over N450 billion; raided 300 defenseless Igbo communities; sacked their 180,000 inhabitants; and frightened and forced over 1 million others to flee their homes to escape being tracked down, falsely labeled and shot and killed or abducted and detained indefinitely or permanently disappeared”.
“During which, too, Government-linked and non-Government linked armed non state actors in their several thousands killed over 14,500 defenseless citizens, abducted over 65,000 others and forced estimated 55,000 of them to pay ransoms estimated at over N500 billion and extra N50 billion realized from sold millennium cars seized from the abducted victims; and razed or burned down civilian properties valued at over N60 billion and aided by biased and compromised Nigerian Security Forces to influx and proliferate estimated 2.7m illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons across Eastern Nigeria”.
The Intersociety’s Special Reports further catalogued and exposed massive arbitrary arrests, perpetual detentions arising from uninvestigated and un-triable phantom allegations, what it described as kangaroo arraignments, late night abduction and face-bagging of unarmed Igbo civilians to secret military detention facilities in northern Nigeria, torture and bodily lacerations,
Others are “Open killings, secret, extralegal and extra jus executions, innumerable cases of enforced disappearances and victims’ dead bodies’ criminal interments; perpetual concealment of the arrested and abducted citizens’ whereabouts and denial of access to their families, lawyers and physicians.
“Invasion and wanton destruction of civilian dwelling houses and allied properties; indiscriminate false labeling, mass criminalization, class stigmatization and ethno-religious profiling on the grounds of ethnicity and religion, selective and discriminatory law enforcements and their operations, rampancy of prosecutorial vindictiveness and hearsay conclusions.
“Unchecked and untamed military and police roadblock and barrack-extortions and other corrupt practices including monetization and commercialization of criminal investigations and prosecutions, etc.
“All of which had arisen from military siege and terror in Eastern Nigeria since August 2015 using “IPOB/ESN/Biafra Terrorism” as a pretext or cover.”
The Intersociety had also in its reports found that “Out of every fifteen unarmed citizens arrested by police crack squads, seven run the high risk of not returning to their families alive.
“Out of every fifteen civilian houses or homes burned down or wantonly destroyed by military personnel or police crack squads, the same number (fifteen) are most likely not linked to ‘military necessity’ and ought not to have been razed or burned down or wantonly destroyed.
“Out of every fifteen criminal allegations: “ESN/Biafra/IPOB terrorism”; levelled against members of indigenous South-East and Igbo South-South civilian population, 14 most likely do not have anything in connection with such controversial or questionable allegations.
“All the above is in addition to the fact that 95% of police or military or spy police-issued security intelligence information and law enforcement operations’ reports in the South-East and the South-South are highly questionable and most likely to have been concocted or twisted or falsified.”
They groups said, We hereby call on the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions; the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Religious Freedom; the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders; the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of the Internally Displaced People; the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Arrest and Detention; the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing (anti-Domicide).
“The UN Special Rapporteur on Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Office; the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, New York, USA and the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to urgently intervene, investigate and identify and hold armed state actor and armed non-state actor perpetrators involved accountable and sanction public office holders found in the Reports to have aided, abetted and sponsored such grievous crimes or conduct-atrocities and have them sanctioned appropriately.
“We also urge the incoming Trump Administration in the United States to adopt the Reports as working documents in the assessment of Nigeria’s human rights records and the USA’s future international development partnership with the Government of Nigeria.
“The incoming Donald Administration is particularly called upon to ensure that the Government of Nigeria and the country’s security forces’ high commands are compelled to respect the International Freedom of Worship or Belief and end such discrimination or risk being enlisted in the USA’s “Country Of Particular Concern (CPC)” under “her International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998”.
“In line with the Intersociety’s seventy-six strong recommendations contained in the Special Reports, we are calling on Nigeria’s International Development Partners including all Member-States of the EU, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, etc., to:
“Critically study the Reports and have them reflected in future development and defense, security and safety assistance and supports geared toward promotion of democracy, rule of law, human rights and humanitarianism in Nigeria particularly in the East and ensure that such development and military supports or assistance are not channeled into “instruments of violence or state terror and persecution” against defenseless members of the Eastern civilian population and their properties.
“The above democracies called upon are urged to ensure that such development assistance and human rights and humanitarian supports amounting to billions of dollars yearly are not channeled into extrajudicial killings, abductions, torture and other cruel treatments, enforced disappearances, civilian house burnings, false labeling, class criminalisation, ethnoreligious profiling and persecution, prosecutorial vindictiveness and hearsay conclusions, etc., against defense Eastern civilian population and their defenseless properties.
“The Government of Nigeria shall further be compelled to frontally address pandemic and endemic corruption in the country’s security (military, police and secret police) sector and digitalise law enforcement operations including preventive, detective, investigative policing and crime detection; all of which have become a modern trend in the mother world.
“More so, when “Digital Policing/Security” has become the speediest way by which struggling countries have leveled up with advanced countries owing to the fact it is quantitative, qualitative, cheaper, available, avoidable, less corrupt, human rights and rule of law friendly and importable or exportable.”
The statement and the demands was jointly signed by Luke Nwannunnu, the Coordinator/Chairman of Igbo Genocide Survivors’ Committee, Ekwenche Research Institute and Organization, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Prof. Justin Akujieze, Board Chairman of Ekwenche Research Institute and Organization, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Father Ignatius Nwankwocha, Chair, Home Affairs, Ekwenche Research Institute and Organization, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Nze Amadiebube Mbama, Chair, Global Igbo Leaders (GIL), United States; Chief John (Ugonna) Gregg (American), International Human Rights and Democracy Campaigner, United States of America.
Mr. Bernhard Wanner (Swiss), Sustainability and Quality System Manager, International Human Rights Campaigner, Zurich, Switzerland.
Dr Ahamefule, Festus, BSc., M. D,Dph., Madrid, Spain; Oluchi Ibe, Political Analyst/Writer, Washington DC, United States; Udeh Christian Iwuagwu, FCCA, Financial Analyst, London, United Kingdom.
Dr James Achike, Design Technologist/Strategic Planner, Vienna, Austria; Austin Okeke Esquire, President, Igbo Board of Deputies International, South Africa.
Prof. Jerry Chidozie Chukwuokolo, University Don and Frontline Human Rights Advocate, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Engineer Ikenweoke Nwandu, Computer Security Expert and Leading Human Rights Advocate, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, Human Rights Advocate and Chair, South-East CLO, Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Father Dr. Tobe Nnamani, Lecturer, Catholic Social Teaching-Bigard Memorial Seminary, ED, Peoples’ Creative Empowerment International, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor Esq (KSC), Chief Counsel/Principal Partner I.C. EJIOFOR & CO., Abuja and Nnewi, Nigeria.
Rev Ifesinachi Jerry Ifeacho (Pastor), Chairman, Billie Human Rights Initiative, United Kingdom.
Dr. (Chief) Sylvester Onyia, President, American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), United States of America.
Dr (Sir) Festus Okere, President, World Igbo Congress (WIC) Houston, Massachusetts, United States.
Prof. Chijioke Uwasomba, Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.
Father Emefiena GB Ezeani, PhD, University Lecturer and Parish Priest, St Francis of Assisi Parish, Ozubulu, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Prof. Anthony Ejiofor, President Emeritus, World Igbo Congress (WIC) Houston, Massachusetts, United States.
Dr Kanayo K. Odeluga, MD., MPH Executive Director, Igbo League, Inc, United States of America.
Father John Okwoeze Odey, PhD., Catholic Priest, Renowned Author And Frontline Human Rights Advocate, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Prof. Obasi Igwe, Renowned University Don, Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Rev Canon Ferdinand Nwafor Okoye, A Respected Anglican Priest/University Don, Educational Management and Policy Department, Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Okezie Kelechi (PhD; CFRM: Ashoka Fellow), Executive Director, NEW Foundation, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Dr Ngozi Chuma Umeh (Assoc Prof), Faculty of Law, Imo State University, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.
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