Intersociety: Over 6,000 Igbo Families Still Searching for Missing Relatives

ABUJA — More than 6,000 families in the South-East are allegedly still searching for sons and daughters who disappeared in circumstances involving security agencies, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety.

The rights organisation said the alleged disappearances could be contributing to the reluctance of young people from the region to enlist in the Nigerian military.

Intersociety made the claim in a report jointly released with the United States-based Ekwenche Research Institute, covering alleged security incidents between January 2021 and July 2026.

The report also alleged that 299 Nigerian Christians were killed and 213 others abducted across the country in July 2026.

According to the organisations, the alleged cases of abduction, disappearance, unlawful killing and what they termed false labelling have deepened mistrust between security agencies and young people in the South-East.

The report stated: “not less than 6,000 Igbo Land South-East families have not traced alive or dead their beloved sons and daughters of productive age-brackets who went missing in the hands of the Nigerian military officers and personnel.”

The organisations claimed that military detention accounted for 70 per cent of the alleged disappearances, while the police and DSS were respectively attributed 20 per cent and 10 per cent.

They also alleged that more than 5,000 unarmed citizens of the former Eastern Nigeria who were allegedly taken into custody during pro-Biafra self-determination protests between August 30, 2015 and July 2026 had not been located.

According to the report, the affected families and lawyers were still unable to determine whether the missing persons were alive or dead.

The organisations further alleged that thousands of civilians were killed or died in custody during security operations in the South-East.

They accused security agencies of associating most criminal activities in the region with IPOB and the Eastern Security Network.

The report pointed to the September 2017 military operations in Abia State as an early major incident that allegedly involved large-scale killings and disappearances.

It also alleged that about 400 South-East Judeo-Christian civilians were abducted by the military during the first seven months of 2026, with their locations allegedly unknown.

Intersociety Reports 299 Christian Deaths in July

The report painted a wider picture of insecurity across Nigeria, alleging that at least 299 Christians were killed by groups it described as Islamic jihadists in July, while 213 others were abducted.

Benue recorded the highest number of alleged deaths, with 65 killed and 30 abducted.

Southern Kaduna was next, with 58 alleged deaths and 70 abductions.

Plateau recorded 55 alleged deaths and 10 abductions, according to the report, while Adamawa recorded 35 deaths and Niger 30 deaths.

The organisations also alleged that armed herders attacked communities in Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states.

In Enugu, they named Ezeagu, Isi-Uzo, Uzo-Uwani and Nkanu East as some of the areas they said were particularly affected.

They alleged that the attacks had forced residents to flee several communities and that some places of worship were also targeted.

The report’s allegations had not received a response from the security agencies as of the time of filing.

The claims remain allegations, and no independent confirmation of the figures or specific incidents cited in the report was provided in the material available for this report.

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