The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, known as Intersociety, has alleged that over the past eight years, more than 100,000 Nigerians lost their lives due to actions by security agencies. The organization identified the most affected states as Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Kaduna, Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Taraba, Niger, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, among others. Intersociety claimed to have gathered this data by reviewing the activities of security agencies from August 2015 to December 2023.
The group asserted that the deaths could have been prevented if the deployed security forces had heeded early warnings and acted impartially. The statement, released on Thursday, was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chairman of the Intersociety Board, Chidinma Udegbunam, Head of Campaign and Publicity, and Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law.
According to Intersociety, “over 100,000 unarmed and defenseless citizens of Nigeria have died directly or indirectly outside the law at the hands of the Nigerian security forces.” The deaths occurred in 28 major operations, during which tens of thousands were tortured, held without a fair trial, or disappeared. The group pointed out that a significant portion of these victims were Christians from the South-East, South-South, and Old Middle-Belt regions, while the remaining 30% comprised unarmed and defenseless Muslim victims in the North-East States.
Intersociety claimed that the Nigerian security forces had been compromised in neutrality and professionalism since July 2015 and advocated for urgent restructuring, comprehensive retraining, and de-radicalization of personnel and leaders within the security forces.