In a report titled “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria,” the rights group said over 1,844 people were killed between January 2021 and June 2023. It also documented cases of torture, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests by the military, police, Ebube Agu security outfit, and non-state actors.

Country Director Isa Sanusi, speaking on a national television, said Amnesty interviewed 100 people, mostly face-to-face and wrote to the military before publishing the findings, but got no response.

He dismissed claims by the Defence Headquarters that the group unfairly targets the military, noting that the report also documented attacks on security personnel.

The Defence spokesperson, Markus Kangye, denied the allegations, insisting the military does not engage in extrajudicial killings and that operations in the region target criminal elements.

Sanusi maintained that Amnesty has no bias and urged authorities to investigate and ensure justice for the victims.