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…Amnesty International calls for investigation
…As gunmen seek to retain hold on communities
For over four years, residents of Okigwe LGA have endured a harrowing descent into lawlessness, with bandits and suspected militants mainly under the guise of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) tightening their grip on daily life.
Over half of the local government’s population now live under siege, as armed groups impose terror, extortion, and arbitrary rules across communities.
With markets, schools, and churches shut down, court houses closed or relocated, and families fleeing en masse, Okigwe’s security and social fabric lie in uncertainty.
A Landscape of Fear
Families of affected truck drivers have reported that between January and December 2024, no fewer than 20 truck drivers have been killed and their trucks burnt within the Enugu-Okigwe-Umuahia expressway. It is widely believed that the flashpoint in this axis is Okigwe.
Out of Okigwe’s 11 wards, only more than five – Agbobu, Aku, Ihube, Amuro, and Umulolo have become epicenters of violence, plagued by armed gangs allegedly linked to the separatist IPOB group and other criminal networks. These areas, once bustling with community life, are now, comparatively, ghost towns.
In most of these places, local markets remain closed, schools are abandoned, and scanty churches hold services under constant threat. Even the judiciary has retreated: courthouses in Okigwe have been relocated to Owerri, the state capital, for safety reasons.
The site for the Imo State University (IMSU) Engineering and Agricultural Faculty, now stands vandalized, with about eight building complexes de-roofed and moveable equipment stolen by these hoodlums.
“They took everything – machines, cables, even doors,” a displaced staff member recounted anonymously.
Darkness and Desperation
Okigwe has languished in darkness since 2020, as power infrastructure have been relentless vandalized and sabotaged. While the criminals popularly known as “unknown gunmen” target and vandalize these electrical installations where they can, some officials of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) have also been accused of exploiting the chaos to vandalize power installations too.
The blackout has crippled businesses and emboldened criminals who prefer to operate under cover of darkness.
Local sources describe a climate of terror where armed gangs impose levies for security, burials, occasional weddings, extorting families who gather for any occasion. “If you don’t pay, they attack you. Soldiers come and go, but until these boys are either captured or decimated, they still rule here,” said Chief B.C. Ekwunazu, a farmer from Agbobu, who fled after his crops were harvested at gunpoint.
Human Toll: Abductions and Displacement
The reported targeting and killing of truck drivers from the North, while vandalizing their goods and burning their trucks have become a major dent on the image of the South-East region and not just Imo state.
With no fewer than 20 truck drivers already reported killed and the hoodlums still untamed is a cause for concern, if not an indictment on governments and security forces in the region.
According to Amnesty International, “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and impartially investigate allegations of targeting of truck drivers from the north conveying goods to or through the South-East.
“The investigation must focus on routes on which these attacks frequently take place, including Enugu-Lokpanta-Okigwe and Okigwe to Umuahia.
“The authorities must investigate the allegation by the families of the victims that ‘between January and December 2024, more than 20 drivers were killed and their trucks burnt or damaged in the southeast.’
“All people have the freedom to move freely without fear or intimidation. Alarming abductions for ransom and frequent killings across Nigeria have left people feeling more unsafe, showing utter failure of the Nigerian authorities to protect lives and properties. Incessant killings and the stunning failure of the authorities to end them and bring suspected perpetrators to justice have been and continues to be a threat to the right to life in Nigeria.
“Article 13 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees that everyone has the right to freedom of movement — and this right must be upheld and protected.”
Till date, families are fleeing affected Okigwe villages in droves, escaping forced marriages, farm raids, and brazen abductions. In one chilling account, gunmen stormed a home at dawn, abducting a teenage girl only to return her hours later, around dusk, causing her traumatized family to flee the community. “No one is safe. They take what they want, when they want,” a displaced mother told our correspondent.
Collapse of Traditional Institutions
Traditional rulers and community leaders have also abandoned their posts, with many now presiding over their domains from distant safe havens.
Some traditional rulers and President-Generals had already been either abducted or killed, so most of the remaining traditional rulers and President-General have since fled their communities to the cities for the safety of their families. In these areas, what used to be considered as the traditional institution that ensured order and sanity in the rural communities have since collapsed.
Security Forces Yet to Crack the Code
Despite military checkpoints and patrols, locals say security presence has still not been very effective.
In some of the affected communities, gunmen openly flaunt their control, attending community events as “dignitaries” to collect levies.
“Soldiers patrol some of these areas randomly, but the hoodlums know the terrain better. They disappear and return once the coast is clear,” a displaced petty trader from Ihube explained.
While the security forces are bent on sacking the hoodlums from Okigwe and sanitizing the communities, these gunmen continue to resist and thwart attempts to dislodge them from their strongholds with guerrilla-style attacks on communities and security operatives.
It was all fireworks in Umulolo Okigwe on Sunday morning as the hoodlums attempted an ambush of security operatives. Though no casualty was recorded, it was reported that the patrol vehicle of the security operatives was burnt in the attack.
Collapse of Governance
The vacuum left by fleeing leaders has allowed criminal networks to thrive. With no functional local authority, communities are left to negotiate survival under the shadow of violence. “We’re on our own,” said a teacher now displaced to Owerri. “The government acts like Okigwe doesn’t exist.”
As despair deepens, residents plead for urgent intervention. “Okigwe is our home, but it feels like a warzone,” said a community leader who craved anonymity. “We need real security; we do not want to go back home on the strength of promises alone. We need to be able to go home and feel safe in our homes and not live under anxiety or that constant fear that something will go wrong again.”
Last Line
Okigwe’s crisis reflects broader national security failures, which underscores the urgent need for coordinated strategies to reclaim communities from armed groups and restore governance.
For now and for many communities, Okigwe has become one of those places where fear reigns and home feels far away.
