Ejimakor Urges Ndigbo to Organize Against Insecurity, Cites Armed Groups Attacks

A Human rights lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor has called on Ndigbo to take coordinated steps to address insecurity in Igboland, warning that failure to act could worsen attacks on communities.

In an open letter addressed to Ndigbo, on Tuesday, Ejimakor said residents had been “personally and collectively humiliated and threatened” by incursions that he attributed to armed groups identified in videos and other sources as Fulani criminals. 

He alleged that the groups had carried out kidnappings, sexual assaults, and killings in parts of the region.

Ejimakor urged communities to stop blaming the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, for the violence, saying that multiple independent sources had exonerated the group. 

He rather called for residents to organize locally to address what he described as the presence of armed groups in forests across Igboland.

“You know that they live in your forests. Set out some days of every week and comb your forests. The invaders will vamoose,” he wrote.

He appealed to Ndigbo to revive the “Bakassi Boys spirit,” referencing the vigilante group that operated in the Southeast in the late 1990s and early 2000s to tackle criminal gangs. 

Ejimakor said town unions should coordinate with existing vigilante groups in every Igbo village if government authorities were reluctant to lead.

“It’s not a crime to defend yourselves, and many government officials, including the head of the DSS, have even said so,” he stated, adding that urgent and decisive action was needed to prevent further attacks.

Ejimakor asked the people to raise the issue in community gatherings, to demand immediate action, noting that prayers alone were not enough to protect Igboland.

Security in parts of the Southeast and other regions of Nigeria has been a recurring concern, with authorities repeatedly stating that they are working to address kidnapping, banditry, and communal violence.