Amnesty International has condemned a deadly assault in Imo State, southeastern Nigeria, where gunmen killed at least 30 people and set over 20 commuter vehicles and trucks on fire along the Okigwe-Owerri road. The rights group described the attack as a “vicious” display of disregard for human life and urged Nigerian authorities to conduct a transparent investigation to ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.
The attackers are believed to be members of the banned separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), according to Amnesty. “This attack shows a blatant disregard for the sanctity of life,” the group stated on X. “Nigerian authorities must investigate the incident thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.”
Imo State police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, confirmed that the incident occurred early Thursday but declined to provide a casualty figure. He later told Reuters that police had killed one of the attackers. A police statement explained that the gunmen, operating in three groups, blocked the highway around 04:00 GMT and fired randomly.
Security forces, including a joint team led by Imo State Police Commissioner Aboki Danjuma, have launched a search operation targeting nearby forests where the suspects are believed to be hiding. The team includes personnel from the army, police, and State Security Service.
The IPOB, which has been declared illegal by the Nigerian government, is a separatist group advocating for an independent state in southeastern Nigeria. The region, predominantly inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group, has a history of secessionist movements dating back to the Biafra civil war of the late 1960s, which resulted in over a million deaths.