“Bullets were raining everywhere” – That was the summary of the deadly repression of pro- Biafra activists which culminated into extrajudicial executions and violence against the protesters.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since August 2015, the security forces have killed at least 150 members and supporters of the pro-Biafran organization IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) and injured hundreds during non-violent meetings, marches and other gatherings. Hundreds were also arbitrarily arrested.
This report focuses on the crisis brewing in the southeast of Nigeria, where IPOB campaigns for an independent state of Biafra.
Video footage and eyewitness testimony consistently show that the military, which has been deployed instead of police to control pro-Biafran events, has dispersed peaceful gatherings by firing live ammunition with little or no warning.
This report documents extrajudicial executions and the use of excessive force by military, police and other security agencies. It also shows a worrying pattern of arbitrary arrests and detentions, including soldiers arresting wounded victims in hospital, and of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees.
Hardly any allegations of crimes under international law and human rights violations by the Nigerian security forces, and in particular the military, are investigated. If an investigation is carried out, there is no follow up.
Because no one has been seen to be held to account for serious human rights violations, an already pervasive culture of impunity within the military has been further strengthened.
The military is currently deployed in 30 out of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The frequent deployment of soldiers has resulted in many cases of excessive use of force, extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances throughout the country, and in particular in the northeast, southeast and north central regions.
Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the government of Nigeria to initiate independent and effective investigations into its evidence of crimes under international law committed by the military, especially in the context of the conflict in northeast Nigeria. In response, President Buhari has repeatedly promised that Amnesty International’s reports would be looked into. However, no concrete steps have been taken to begin independent investigations.
As a result of the apparent lack of political will to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of such crimes, the military continues to commit human rights violations and grave crimes with impunity.
Despite persistent state repression, the IPOB movement has gained significant public attention in the last couple of years.
Thousands of people frequently tune in to the clandestine radio station Radio Biafra, which is run from the UK and its broadcasts includes messages that may constitute incitement to violent acts against the Nigerian state.
The authorities initially allowed IPOB rallies to take place, but from September 2015 onwards the authorities have claimed that IPOB is a threat to the security of Nigeria, despite the fact that the IPOB protests and gatherings documented by Amnesty International were largely non-violent.
Since the IPOB leader and Radio Biafra director Nnamdi Kanu was arrested on 14 October 2015, the meetings and demonstrations calling for his release have increased and so have the violations committed by the military.
President Buhari has repeatedly expressed his opposition to Biafran independence. For example, in May 2016 he said: “We will not let that [division of Nigeria] happen. For Nigeria to divide now, it is better for all of us to jump into the sea and get drowned.” Similarly in September 2016 he said: “Tell your colleagues who want Biafra to forget about it.”
Amnesty International itself takes no position on the political status of Biafra or any other question of self-determination or independence. However, it calls on states to comply with their international human rights obligations which include respect for the right of everyone to freedom of opinion and expression, including the peaceful expression of political views about the status of particular territories.
For this report, Amnesty International interviewed 193 people and analysed 87 videos and 122 photographs showing IPOB assemblies, members of the security forces in the process of committing violations and victims of these violations. On 30 September 2016, Amnesty International wrote to the Nigerian authorities including the military, police and officials of the State Security Service (SSS, also known as Department of State Security, DSS) to share the findings. Responses were received from the Federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General and Inspector General of Police but neither answered the questions raised in the letter.
EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS
Since August 2015, the security forces have killed at least 150 IPOB members and supporters and injured hundreds during peaceful assemblies. The exact number remains unknown because the government has not independently investigated any of these incidents.
By far the largest number of pro-Biafra activists were killed on 30 May 2016, Biafra Remembrance Day, during events to mark the 49th anniversary of the declaration of the Republic of Biafra, when an estimated 1,000-plus IPOB members and supporters gathered for a rally in Onitsha, Anambra state. The night before the rally, a joint security force task force raided homes and a church where IPOB members were sleeping.
On Remembrance Day itself, the security forces shot people in several locations, predominantly in Nkpor, the venue for the gathering, and in Asaba.
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