• Says every 13-15 people openly or secretly killed by security agents unarmed

From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has raised the alarm that its findings showed that out of every 15 citizens accused of being seriously involved in Biafra Matters 14 were innocent; out of every 15 arbitrarily arrested and detained without trial in connection with Biafra Matters 13 were innocent in Imo state.

The group also revealed that out of every 15 persons killed in the open by soldiers or police crack squads in connection with Biafra Matters in Imo State, 13 are defenceless and unarmed; out of every 15 tortured/starved to death or shot and killed in detention in connection with “Biafra Matters”, the same number are defenceless and unarmed; out of every 15 abducted outside their family knowledge and official records by soldiers in connection with “Biafra Matters”, 14 were not likely to come back alive.

The Chairman of Intersociety, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, in a briefing that 700 civilians were killed by armed non-state actors in Imo while 900 others were abducted since January 2021.

“The armed non-state actor entities in Imo State have since January 2021 killed at least 700 defenceless citizens and abducted 900 others; out of which 400 were killed in captivity and 300 died in open shootings that occurred in different parts of Imo State.

“Just as the dreaded Ebubeagu militias partook in the armed state actor killing of 900, abduction/arrest of 3500 and disappearance of 300; the dreaded militias also took a lion’s share alongside political death/killer squads and armed counterfeit agitators in the open shootings and killings that claimed the lives of 300 defenceless citizens in Imo State; jointly accounting for 250 deaths.

“The non-Islamic kidnappers-for-ransom, the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, the armed political opposition reprisal squads and other members of the armed street criminal entities took responsibility for the remaining 50 deaths. Out of the 400 defenceless deaths arising from captivity shootings and killings including abducted citizens shot or tortured to death in captivity, kidnappers-for-ransom (including armed counterfeit agitators) accounted for 200 deaths, followed by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen with 100 deaths.

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“The responsibility for the remaining 100 deaths in captivity is shared by Ebubeagu militias, political death/killer squads, kidnap-for-ransom members of armed street criminal entities and operatives of the Eastern Security Network (collateral civilian deaths recorded in January to December 2021).

“It must be noted that under the International Law’s best practices, casualties that occurred between fighting parties or between security forces and armed opposition fighting parties are not recorded or counted. It is also internationally prohibited to attack, destroy or burn down houses and other properties including sacred places of worship and their religious symbols which do not constitute ‘military necessity’.

“It is the finding of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) that not less than 900 defenceless citizens were abducted by five of the eight identified armed non-state entities in Imo State in 29 months (Jan 2021-May 2023), out of which 33% or 300 were killed in captivity; representing those that could not return to their families alive after being abducted.

“Out of the 900 abductions, political killer squads (“Government Unknown Gunmen”), Ebubeagu Government militias and counterfeit agitators accounted for 400, kidnapers-for-ransom members of the ‘street violent criminal entities and private armies accounted for 300 and the jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and others 200.

“The 300 victims of the abductors’ captivity killings represent those unable to return to their families alive or presumed to have been killed in captivity owing to their inability to pay ransoms or who died from torture or gunshot injuries or because of their refusal to be raped if females; or recite Islamic incantations and be converted to Islam, if abducted on religious grounds.

“A greater number of victims of political abductions also died in captivity after being abducted. Some victims of the 900 abductions who managed to return home alive died afterwards as a result of terminal injuries inflicted or complicated health issues arising from their abductions by five out of named eight armed nonstate actor entities in Imo,” Umeagbalasi stated.