Human rights reports , especially those by Amnesty International, have documented uninvestigated killings in Imo State, Nigeria, between 2019 and 2021.
This raises the question of whether Imo, and indeed Nigeria, remains really committed to fighting insecurity.
One major report titled “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria,” released in August 2025, details how over 400 people were killed in Imo State alone during that period.
The report describes a reign of impunity where violent attacks by “unknown gunmen” targeted residents, police stations, and vigilante offices.
It emphasizes the failure of Nigerian authorities to investigate these killings or bring the culprits to justice, thus perpetuating insecurity and fear in the region.
Amnesty International’s report provides detailed accounts based on interviews with survivors, victim families, civil society members, lawyers, and community leaders.
It highlights not only the killings by armed groups but also extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances committed by Nigerian security forces responding to the unrest.
The report strongly criticizes the government’s “brutal clampdown” and calls for compliance with constitutional and international human rights obligations, including fair trials for suspected perpetrators and access to justice for victims.
The 2024 U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for Nigeria also documents the general context of illegal killings and human rights abuses in the region, including in Imo State.
It reports on arbitrary and unlawful killings committed by both non-state actors and security forces and underscores ongoing insecurity and weak legal redress mechanisms.
Additionally, Amnesty International’s findings from 2021 highlight the spiraling violence in Imo State, with security forces and militants involved in killings and attacks on public infrastructure.
The report documented cases of excessive force, torture, secret detentions, and extrajudicial executions related to the conflict between security agencies and armed groups. This systemic abuse combined with the failure to investigate crimes further entrenched impunity.
ReliefWeb also published an analysis in 2025 based on Amnesty International’s research, underscoring how gunmen killed hundreds of people in Imo State between 2019 and 2021.
The document reiterates the pattern of violent attacks, reprisals, and widespread lawlessness, urging the Nigerian government to address unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances with transparent investigations and justice measures.
Other human rights-focused platforms and Nigerian news outlets have echoed Amnesty International’s condemnation of the Nigerian government’s persistent failure to investigate killings and human rights violations in Imo State.
They stress the need for accountability for both state and non-state actors implicated in the violence, highlighting the ongoing suffering of victims’ families who have been denied justice.
In summary, Amnesty International’s reports remain the most comprehensive human rights documentation on uninvestigated killings in Imo State during 2019-2021.
They provide extensive evidence of unlawful killings by armed groups and security forces, with a clear call for justice and reform.
These findings are corroborated by other human rights and governmental reports emphasizing persistent impunity and the urgent need for accountability in the region.