Revealed: Secret attacks on religious groups, some Eastern communities by security forces – InterSociety

Wed, Feb 2, 2022

By editor

3 MIN READ

By Kennedy Nnamani

INTERNATIONAL Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, InterSociety, has alleged that 400 leaders/members of the African Instituted Churches, including Sabbath sects and their likes have been abducted or killed in security custodies. This is contained in the summary of the executive report released by the group in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria, on the 19th of January 2022.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety) is Nigeria’s leading human rights, rule of law, citizens, public security and safety, democracy and good governance advocacy group since 2008. It is also a knowledge based organization, led by graduates and post graduates in the celebrated fields of law, criminology, security studies, peace studies and conflict resolution, media and journalism, etc. The group is globally rated and respected for its forensic facts findings using knowledge of local and international law and criminology, research, investigation and documentation and several years of field experience. With respect to the subject matter under campaign, the group claims it had meticulously followed and is still following the patterns and trends of the operations of the Nigerian security forces in Eastern Nigeria in the past 14 months (October2020-December 2021).

According to the report, the Nigerian security forces have designated them as ‘terrorist religious group’ and hatefully accused them of membership and sponsorship of “ESN/IPOB” without concrete and indictable pieces of evidence. Some of the victims as reported by the InterSociety group include but not limited Cletus Egole and his Pharmacist wife, Ifeyinwa, pastor in charge of a Synagogue Church in Orlu, another Jewish Religion Pastor in the area was also arrested and falsely labeled. Dozens of leaders of the African Instituted Churches (Sabbath, Cherubim, Church of Christ Apostolic Mission, etc) have also been abducted by security operatives and dumped permanently in detention without trial or killed in custody.

The group also alleged that most of the sacred sanctuaries and symbols of worship and dwelling houses of this group have also been burnt down or destroyed by security forces. The report from the group also revealed that traditional herbalists across Eastern Nigeria have also become endangered species in the hands of security forces.

“From the camps of about five designated categories of “Unknown Gunmen” operating in Igbo parts of Eastern Nigeria, not less than 100 civilian deaths have been recorded in the region since July 2021 with Imo, Anambra, Enugu and Abia as the worst hit,” the report said.

Some lives, properties in the Eastern communities have also been attacked which the group attributes to the operations of security forces.

“It was our further investigative discovery that no fewer than 100 Igbo communities have been invaded by security forces in the past 14 months and caused not less than 1000 homes or dwelling houses to be raided and razed during which properties such as the land housing each of the buildings, the building structure, electronics and electrical appliances, chairs and house utensils, food items, economic trees, domestic animals, automobiles and other valuable items were destroyed or burnt to ashes or looted. From our conservative estimates, each house, its land and properties is worth not less than N35m, translating to N35 billion for the estimated 1000 dwelling houses destroyed or burnt down. The remaining N5b arises from other outside-the-house properties destroyed or burnt down, including market stores and their wares-totaling N40 billion as total properties’ value lost in the hands of the Nigerian security forces, particularly soldiers of the Nigerian Army and other branches of the Armed Forces”, the group alleged.

KN