How Armed Herdsmen Terrorize South-East Communities ‘Under Security Watch’

iexclusivenews – A new report by a human rights group has exposed how the Nigerian military and the police have allegedly turned a blind eye to the activities of herdsmen and terrorists who have been occupying at least 12 locations in the South-East region.

The report, released by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), revealed that these criminal elements have been operating with impunity in Abia, Anambra, and Imo states since 2021, while the Nigerian security forces have failed to conduct any “clearance operations” to flush them out.

The Hideouts and Enclosures of the Herdsmen and Terrorists

According to Intersociety, the herdsmen and terrorists have been hiding and encamping in the following places:

– Leru

– Lokpanta

– Isiukwuato

– Nneochi

– Umunneochi

– Okigwe

– Ihube (Aku-Ihube)

– Umulolo

– Umunze (and its neighbors)

– Uturu

– Eke-Udi (Ugwu Onyeama)

– Ugwuogo-Nike-Opi-Nsukka forest areas

These locations are strategically chosen to enable them to launch attacks on nearby communities and farms, as well as to evade detection and arrest by the security forces.

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The Need for Restructuring and Retraining of the Security Forces

The report, signed by Intersociety’s board chair, Emeka Umeagbalasi, and others, called for an urgent restructuring and retraining of the Nigerian military and the police, who are on the verge of becoming “Tribo-Islamic Gendarmes”.

The report lamented that most of the security personnel and their bosses are either computer illiterates or “professorial or doctoral morons” who are steeped in corruption and incompetence.

The report also accused the security forces of indiscriminately bombing and burning down civilian villages and homes in the South-East, especially in Imo, Anambra and Abia states, since 2021, while sparing the hideouts and enclosures of the herdsmen and terrorists.

The Examples of the Atrocities Committed by the Herdsmen and Terrorists

The report cited some of the horrific incidents that have occurred in the South-East and other parts of the country as a result of the negligence and complicity of the security forces. These include:

– The discovery of not less than 80 dead bodies, including 20 headless ones, at the Lokpanta Fulani Cattle Market in Abia state by Governor Alex Otti in October 2023.

– The killing of over 120 innocent Muslims who were celebrating an Islamic festival in Tudun Biri area of Kaduna state by two airstrikes coordinated by the Nigerian Defence Headquarters in December 2023.

– The massacre of not less than 300 defenceless Plateau residents in various villages in Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi and Mangu local government areas by jihadists on the Christmas Eve of 2023 and its aftermath.

The report noted that these killings could have been prevented if the security forces had acted on early warnings and performed their duties without bias or favoritism.