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Intersociety Calls For Visa Ban, Other Sanctions Against Imo Governor Uzodinma, Accomplices Over Alleged State-Sponsored Killings, Arrests Of Thousands Of Residents

FILE
June 9, 2023

Intersociety also called for an end to butcheries and civilian house burnings in the state, while demanding arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators involved, whether they are armed state actors or armed non-state actors.
 

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called for visa bans and other justice actions and sanctions by the Government of the United Kingdom and other countries across Europe, North America and South America for the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma over alleged state-sponsored killings and arbitrary arrests.
Intersociety also called for an end to butcheries and civilian house burnings in the state, while demanding arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators involved, whether they are armed state actors or armed non-state actors.
The Intersociety in a statement signed by its Board Chair/Lead-Director, Emeka Umeagbalasi, and other leaders, said that the international justice actions under demand were such that were capable of unmasking those that killed, abducted, disappeared, arbitrarily arrested, detained and tortured, and those that aided, abetted and omitted to act to stop the killings, abductions, disappearances and torture; and those that were killed, abducted, tortured and disappeared.
According to Intersociety, “The international justice actions under demand must also unmask when, where, how and why the killings, abductions, arbitrary arrests and detentions; torture and disappearances.”
It stated that in 29 months - from June 2021-May 2023, under Governor Uzodinma, security forces and allied militias killed 900 unarmed citizens, wounded 700, arbitrarily arrested and detained 3,500, extorted 1,400, disappeared 300, burned down 1,200 civilian houses, displaced their 30,000 owners and forced 500,000 citizens in active age-brackets to flee to escape being shot and killed or abducted and disappeared in security custody.
It added that armed non-state actors, “Fulani Jihadists”, counterfeit agitators, death squads, street violent criminal entities killed 700 people which include 400 people killed in captivity and 300 people killed in open shootings, while 900 were abducted.
“To be identified, too, are the type, location and number of houses and other defenseless civilian properties burned down or destroyed and those responsible for burning or destroying them and why they were burned or destroyed and under whose vicarious or direct instructions
Intersociety said that the perpetrators must be slammed with visa bans and tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC) while their immediate families must be placed on visa bans and barred from international entries and participations and awards and other international career, professional and private dealings or exchanges.
“Specifically, the present Government and Governor of Imo State, identified as having grossly omitted to act and aided and abetted as well as egregiously and grisly conspired in the mass atrocities must be slammed with such visa bans and barred from entering the 29 Respected International Democracies written to.
“The Hope Uzodinma Government of Imo State shall further be suspended from receiving the UK international development assistance and be internationally blacklisted.
“The respected Government of the United Kingdom was specifically prayed to use its global respectability and influence to get the leading Global Democracies especially the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, EU, France, Germany, North America, South America and credibly democratic South-East Asia (.i.e. South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, etc) into toeing the same line including urging them to mount pressure on Nigerian Government to do the needful in full compliance with its regional and international obligations under UN and AU Systems by launching full-scale probes and criminal enquiries in Imo State so as to end the mass atrocities and fish out the perpetrators and have them severely punished in accordance with the international norms or best practices and the law.”
The statement added that “Where the Government of Nigeria remains adamant, the democratic international actors called upon, should put consistent pressure on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to urgently intervene by investigating and prosecuting the perpetrators listed in page 33 of the Report.
“The enablers of the mass atrocities in the perpetrators’ list that must not escape international visa bans and other international justice actions include Gov Hope Uzodinma and the Imo State Commissioners of Justice/Attorneys-Generals and those in charge of Information as well as Special Security Advisers since Jan 2021.
“Identified State Actor Perpetrators In The Imo Mass Atrocities Gov Hope Uzodinma, Gov of Imo State and funder/general overseer, Ebubeagu Government Militias of Imo State, the Imo State Commissioners of Justice/Attorneys General and Information as well as the Special Adviser to Gov Hope Uzodinma on Security since January 2021 till date.
“Key security chiefs involved as at 2021/2022 include: Major Gen Toareed Lagbaja (as he then was), GOC, 82 Division, Enugu (2021/2022), Brigadier Gen Raymond Utsaha (as he then was), Brigade Commander, 34 Brigade, Obinze near Owerri (2021/2022), Brig Gen M. Ibrahim (as he then was), Brigade Commander, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Abia State (2021/2022), Col Abdulsalam Abubakar Sambo (as he then was), Cantonment Commandant, 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha (2021/2022).
“Others are: Major H. Ahmed (as he then was), Commanding Officer, Onitsha Cantonment Military Police (2021/2022), Navy Commodore SH Abdullahi (as he then was), Commander, Nigerian Navy School of Finance and Logistics, Owerrenta, Abia State (2021/2022), the Commanding Officers of 211 Regiment of the Nigerian Air Force, Owerri (2021-2023), DIG Tijani Baba (as he then was), DIG in charge of Force Bureau of Criminal Intelligence/Intelligence Response Teams (IRT, 2021/2022), CP Abutu Yaro (as he then was), Commissioner of Police, Imo State (2021/2022), SP Bala Elkan (as he then was), Imo State Police Command Public Relations Officer (2021/2022), AIG Habu Sani Ahmadu (as he then was), AIG-FCIB, Abuja (2021/2022), CP Sadiq Abubakar (as he then was), CP-IRT (2021/2022), DCP Adepoju Ilori (as he then was), DCP-IRT (2021/2022).
“Also, DCP Kolo Yusuf (as he then was), DCP-IRT, Abuja (2021/2022), DCP Abba Kyari (as he then was), DCP-IRT, Abuja (2021/2022), DCP Tunde Disu (as he then was), DCP-IRT, Abuja (2021/2022), SUPOL Vincent Makinde (as he then was), one of the chief torturers at FCIB, Abuja.
“The rest are Inspector Ekwueme Daniel (as he then was), “General IPO in charge of Biafra Matters” at FCIB, Abuja, SUPOL Abbah (as he then was), “Biafra Matters’ Prosecutor” at FCIB, Abuja.
“Some torturers/custodial executioners at Owerri Tiger Base of the Police IRT as at 2021/2022 included Officer Ndidi, Officer Nickolas, Officer Ola, Officer Utaba, Officer Uzor, Officer Bello, Officer Ebele and Officer Omimi.
“Those involved under 2022/2023 are Major Gen Umar Musa, immediate past GOC 82 Division, Enugu, Major Gen Aminu Chinade, current GOC, 82 Division, Enugu, Brig Gen Sani Suleiman, 34 Brigade Commander, Obinze, Brig Gen Adegoke Adetuyi, 14 Brigade Commander, Ohafia, Col M.B. Abubakar, Commander, 302 Artillery, Onitsha, AIG Abutu Yaro (repeat-perpetrator), DIG Sadiq Bello, DIG-FIB or FCIB, Abuja, AIG Mamman Sandra, AIG-Zone 9, Umuahia, AIG Shuaya’u Lafia Abdulyari, AIG-FCIB, and CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde, Commissioner of Police, Imo State.”