A leading civil rights organization, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has rejected police claims that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were behind the brutal attacks that left scores dead across Umualaoma, Arondizuogu, and Ndi-Akunwanta-Uno communities in Ideato North LGA, Imo State, last week. The group instead pointed fingers at fleeing jihadist herdsmen, accusing security agencies of shielding the real culprits.
In a detailed statement signed by four of its senior officials—Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwendu Umeche, Chidinma Udegbunam, and Obianuju Igboeli—Intersociety alleged that the perpetrators were Islamic extremists flushed out of forests in Umunze and Umuchu in neighbouring Anambra State during community-led vigilante operations on July 22–23, 2025. The group claimed the assailants fled to the bordering Imo villages and launched coordinated night attacks on July 24, killing at least 30 people.
Eyewitness reports gathered by Intersociety identified victims by name, including Ms. Chiamaka Omego, Sabina, Nonso Mbaoma, and a couple, Obinna and his wife, who were murdered at their restaurant. The attackers, allegedly in military camouflage and on motorcycles, struck popular village squares and liquor spots between 8:00 p.m. and 9:20 p.m., using high-caliber firearms. According to local sources, the attackers passed through the Joint Forest Farm Settlement linking Anambra and Imo.
The group condemned what it called a recurring state cover-up, citing similar denials of Fulani-linked violence in previous years. They accused the police of consistently framing IPOB and Eastern Security Network (ESN) for crimes committed by foreign militias. “The motive is not just misdirection—it is complicity,” Umeagbalasi stated. He called for independent investigations and international human rights observers to probe the carnage.
In addition, Intersociety raised alarm over the abduction of six Anambra law students on their way to resume at the Nigerian Law School, Yola campus, on Saturday, July 26, 2025. The victims were allegedly kidnapped while traveling through a northern corridor notorious for armed banditry. The group urged Governor Charles Soludo and security heads in Benue, Taraba, and Adamawa to act swiftly and ensure their safe return.
Intersociety also renewed its call for the immediate disbandment of the Ndikeokwu-Uli Vigilante Group, which it described as a “killer outfit” accused of cross-border killings and harassment of civilians. The vigilante unit has reportedly been linked to at least ten deaths in Egbuoma community in Oguta LGA since 2022, including the recent invasion of non-combatant households.
With violence escalating across Nigeria’s southeast and security narratives becoming more contested, civil society groups are urging the federal government and international community to move beyond tribal framing and begin addressing the real sources of terror destabilizing rural communities. Failure to do so, they warn, will only deepen mistrust and fuel more bloodshed.
