HURIWA condemns rising killings, Warns Southeast is descending into anarchy

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the alarming spate of killings, terror attacks, and ritual-related crimes sweeping across the Southeast, warning that the region is on the verge of anarchy due to a “glaring leadership vacuum.”

In a press statement issued on Wednesday by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA expressed grave concern over the increasing frequency of targeted attacks and gruesome murders.

The group specifically decried the massacre of residents in three Arondizuogu communities in Imo State, a daylight invasion of Ehime Mbano, and the horrific murder of a pregnant nurse in Anambra State.

“The bloodshed in Arondizuogu, the gunfire in Ehime Mbano, and the abominable murder in Ogbunike are not isolated incidents,” Onwubiko declared. “They are coordinated signs of an expanding theatre of war against the people of the Southeast.”

HURIWA described the recent coordinated attack on the Arondizuogu communities of Ejezie, Umualaoma, and Ndiakuwata Uno in Ideato North Local Government Area as an “abomination” and “a desecration of Igbo values, traditions, and humanity.”

At least seven persons were reportedly killed in the massacre by suspected members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), with many more displaced and traumatized.

The human rights group also criticized Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, for his alleged inaction.

HURIWA noted its disappointment that the governor remained in Abuja, hosting members of the Super Falcons, while his home state was in mourning.

“This is the height of insensitivity and a clear indication of the disconnect between the political elite and the suffering masses,” the statement said.

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Further heightening the atmosphere of fear, HURIWA condemned the ritual killing of a pregnant nurse in Ogbunike, Anambra State, whose dismembered remains were discovered in a soak away pit.

The group noted that police had confirmed that the body parts were sold to native doctors for ritual purposes, leading to the arrest of a female accomplice.

HURIWA also referenced a separate incident in Enugu State where a traditional medicine man, Obi Obieze, was intercepted while attempting to flee to the Benin Republic after decomposing corpses were found in his soak away.

The group lamented that this case, like others, appeared to have been “swept under the carpets by the Enugu State government.”

The association highlighted that the absence of a unified regional security strategy, similar to the Southwest’s Amotekun Corps, has left the Southeast vulnerable to violent non-state actors and criminal elements.

HURIWA criticized the Southeast Governors Forum for its inability to forge a common front to combat insecurity, urging immediate steps toward regional collaboration.

The group concluded with a passionate plea for unity and swift action, calling for an emergency summit of Southeast leaders to prioritize the development of a coordinated security architecture and address the prolonged detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which it described as a major flashpoint.

“The killings in Arondizuogu must be the final straw,” HURIWA warned.

“Let leaders rise before Alaigbo collapses completely.”