Security, intelligence failures blamed for fresh killings in Imo, Plateau

Alleged widespread lapses in intelligence gathering and security operations have been cited as the cause of renewed violence in Arondizuogu, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, where gunmen stormed two communities early Wednesday, killing at least seven people and leaving many others injured.

In a statement issued Friday, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) also linked similar systemic failures to the recent wave of deadly violence in Bokkos, Plateau State.

The rights organisation urged both the federal and Imo State governments to take urgent measures to safeguard citizens in rural communities, particularly in areas that have become ungoverned such as parts of the Orlu and Okigwe Senatorial Zones.

HURIWA’s national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, signed the statement which criticised the absence of a strong security presence in remote areas far from Owerri and other urban centres in Imo State.

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According to the group, this lack of security infrastructure has left rural residents vulnerable to repeated attacks. The group also condemned the delayed response of security forces, who often arrive long after assailants have carried out their violent acts and fled.

The statement highlighted the targeted communities—Ndi-Ejezie, Umualaoma, and Ndiakuwata Uno—as those hit hardest by the violence. Viral videos from the scene reportedly show charred bodies in homes, while devastated residents grieve their losses.

HURIWA also took aim at the security leadership in the state, accusing them of failing the law-abiding population by neglecting to act preemptively or prevent bloodshed. It criticised the tendency of the police to attribute every attack to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), even before carrying out arrests.

“It is totally illogical that each time citizens are slaughtered in Imo state, the first statement from the police is to heap the blame on the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). If the police already has the prior knowledge that members of IPOB were planning to unleash bloodletting violence on the two communities in Arondizuogu, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, how come that the police allowed the attack to happen? If the police claims that it has no knowledge of the attack in Arondizuogu, how come that it has already known the attackers even when no single arrest has been made? Does the police in Imo state engage in ‘voodoo’ policing style or how does one describe what has played out in Imo State? It is time for the security heads to be compelled to be accountable and there have to be consequences for the dereliction of duties manifested by the heads of security agencies in Imo state and other states that have witnessed attacks by terrorists and bandits,” it said.

The group further condemned reports that security operatives shot indiscriminately at residents in parts of Mbano, Imo State, following an attack on a joint security checkpoint by unidentified gunmen.

“The most lawful methodology of tackling these attacks against the citizens or even against the operatives of the security agencies is not for the security agents to shoot indiscriminately at citizens and make blind or mass arrests of Igbo youths, but the security agents need to deploy sufficient investigative acumen and go after the real culprits so as to bring them to justice. We condemn the wanton attacks on citizens and we very rightly condemned the unprovoked attacks on the security operatives by the yet to be arrested and identified attackers,” it said.

HURIWA also denounced the killing of 14 residents of Bokkos in Plateau State, who were reportedly ambushed by unidentified assailants on Thursday evening as they returned from a local market.

According to available media accounts, the gunmen opened fire on vehicles near Mangor village in Bokkos town, a region widely known for potato farming. The town’s markets on Mondays and Thursdays attract traders from neighbouring countries including Chad, Benin, Niger, and Cameroon.

HURIWA criticised what it described as federal inaction and urged both federal and state authorities to overhaul Nigeria’s broken security and intelligence systems to prevent further bloodshed.

“We call on governments at both the centre and these affected states, to implement proper intelligence guided proactive mechanisms to secure their citizens and stop the incessant attacks by armed gangs and terrorists,” the group said.