In a recent publication I made on July 21, 2024, I raised alarm over the shocking number of our people being abducted daily by state actors under the guise of combating rising insecurity in the southeast. Hundreds of our elderly parents, brothers, and sisters are regularly taken by Nigerian security forces, disappearing without a trace.
Our concern deepens with the increasing number of distress calls we receive daily from the families of some of these victims of enforced disappearance. It is especially troubling that the relatives of these victims can no longer determine their status, whereabouts, or even whether they are still alive. The reason for their arrest remains unknown, further compounding the agony for their families.
Unfortunately, this alarming trend has not been met with the deserving public outcry and condemnation, particularly from those who claim to represent us in high political offices. Instead, a fraction of these officials, seemingly absorbed by the privileges of their positions, are preoccupied with preparation for the 2027 election cycle.
Now that Amnesty International has stepped in to corroborate our concerns about these secret abductions and forced disappearances, we call on our political leaders across all levels to denounce the state actors responsible for this crime against humanity and demand an end to these grave infractions.
We have also suggested in our various discussions, that security agents have the capacity to identify their targets, and apprehend the actual threats, yet they continue to target ostensibly innocent and harmless citizens. These innocent individuals are then transported to unknown locations where they may be either killed or indefinitely detained without any trace. Wawa Military Barracks in Niger State, for instance, is currently holding an outrageously high number of innocent Igbos who have been detained indefinitely, with no hope of freedom in sight.
I am urging the Governors of the southeast states to take immediate action and use the machinery of governments to address this rising trend.
Enough is enough!!!
Signed:
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq. (KSC)
August 22, 2024
