By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has condemned the alleged killings of unarmed residents of Anambra state, blaming it on “armed state actors.”

The group led by Emeka Umeagbalasi, stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Owerri, on Tuesday, while speaking on what he tagged “Unarmed Citizens Still Dying From False Security Intelligence And Rogue Investigations In Anambra.”

Intersociety claimed that they “Have observed with total dismay and strong condemnation the unchecked unarmed civilian deaths and incessancy of unlawful arrests and arbitrary detentions by armed state actor security operatives in Anambra State. The dastardly and prohibited acts are being perpetrated and perpetuated by the personnel and principal officers of the Nigerian Army (302 Artillery Regiment in Onitsha), the Nigerian Naval Base, Ogbaru, the Anambra State Police Command, and the State Government funded Anambra Vigilante Services under the supervision of the State Commissioner for Homeland Security.

“These, they perpetrate and perpetuate by using false security intelligence and rogue-criminal investigations. The above-named armed state actors and the present Government of Anambra State have also earned notoriety in false labelling and relied heavily on ‘hearsay conclusions’ under which unarmed and defenceless citizens are indiscriminately criminalized and rounded up for secret execution or arbitrary detention and denial of custodial liberties. Acts of disappearance and torture or other inhuman and degraded punishments or treatments are also very common in the handling styles of the named state actor security operatives and their principal officers; who also turn blind eyes to armed criminal parties and their weapons and channel their energies and resources against defenceless and unarmed citizens and their properties.”

“These explain the reasons behind the high level of impunity and ‘repeat offences or returned criminalities’ especially felonious offences involving high-profile shootings, abductions-for-ransom,s and targeted assassinations across the State. This is also to the extent that the real fighting or armed criminal parties have remained unmasked and on the prowl. Policing and Military intelligence supplied to the Government of Anambra State are mired in “IPOB/ESN phobia” and often diversionary and questionable,” Intersociety said.