By Our Reporter
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has faulted Amnesty International’s latest report on the security situation in the Southeast, dismissing it as “one-sided and misleading.” Even as a civil rights group, the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, FENRAD, reaffirms the recent report by Amnesty International on the alleged high rate of extra judicial killings in the Southeast region. The global rights group had alleged widespread extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and worsening human rights abuses by Nigerian security forces in the region.
Egbetokun, in a statement issued through the Force Public Relations Office, insisted that while Nigeria faces serious security challenges, the police have acted within the ambit of the law in their operations against armed separatists and violent criminal gangs terrorising the Southeast. “We cannot allow propaganda to overshadow the sacrifices of gallant officers who risk their lives daily to protect citizens,” he said.
The police chief accused Amnesty of overlooking atrocities committed by armed groups, including killings of security personnel, attacks on public institutions, and intimidation of civilians. According to him, the report paints state actors as aggressors while ignoring the complex realities driving insecurity in the region.
He stressed that ongoing reforms within the police are aimed at improving accountability, but maintained that allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings were exaggerated and unfair. “We welcome constructive criticism, but we will not accept narratives that undermine national security or demoralize security forces,” Egbetokun added.
The IGP assured the public that the Nigeria Police Force remains committed to balancing security enforcement with the protection of human rights, even as calls for independent investigations into Amnesty’s claims continue to mount.
But FENRAD, reportedly agreed with the recent report by the amnesty international on extra judicial killings in the southeast.
In a statement on Saturday signed by Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, the Human Rights Executive Director reaffirmed its continuous campaign against worsening insecurity in the southeast. And gross human rights abuse.
Amnesty International has reported a sharp rise in violence and human rights violations in Nigeria’s Southeast. The group highlighted increased civilian-targeted attacks, unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings, and systemic abuses by both state and non-state actors.
According to the report, security forces have been accused of excessive force, arbitrary arrests, and prolonged detentions, worsening insecurity in the region. Armed groups and vigilantes were also identified as fueling unrest through violent activities.
The organization further noted that the continued detention of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has deepened community divisions and escalated tensions in the Southeast.