IPOB Lists 27 Detention Centres Where Over 350 Igbos Face Human Rights Abuses

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that over 350 people from the South-East region of Nigeria, primarily Igbos, are being secretly detained in 27 detention centers across the country.

According to a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the detainees are subjected to severe human rights abuses, including torture and organ trafficking.

Many of these individuals were reportedly arrested during the 2020 #EndSARS protests and have since been held without communication.

IPOB claims that Igbos have been specifically targeted by security forces, with many detained on accusations of being members of IPOB, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), or under false charges of kidnapping.

The statement also highlighted that individuals from other ethnic groups are also being held in these facilities.

According to Saharareporters, IPOB identified the secret detention facilities where over 350 Igbos and people from other ethnic groups were currently being held incommunicado to include: Wawa Military Base; Kanji Dam detention centre; Niger State barrack and prison (Over 350 Igbo Biafrans, some Nigerians abducted during EndSars protest) are dumped there; The DSS headquarters, Abuja; Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Abattoir, Abuja; Tiger base Police detention, Owerri, Imo State; Goodluck Jonathan’s Army barrack Ohafia, Abia state and Zone 9, Umuahia, Abia state detention center.

Others are; Zone 13 Ukpo, Anambra state; Onitsha Army Barracks, Anambra state; Navy base Ogbaru, Anambra state; SARS Awkuzu Ukpo, Anambra state; 82 division Enugu military barracks, Enugu State; Obinze Army Barracks Owerri, Imo State; Central police station headquarters Umuahia, Abia State; State CID headquarters Awka, Anambra state and Naval Base Asaba, Delta State.

Also identified by IPOB are; Enugu maximum prison, Enugu State; Port Harcourt maximum prison, River State; Aba prison, Abia state; Abakaliki prisons, Ebonyi state; Uyo prisons, Akwa Ibom; Owerri prison, Imo state; Kuje Prison, Abuja; Keffi Prison, Abuja; Suleja prison, Niger state; Nigeria military intelligence detention facility, Abuja.

Some of the detainees have been missing for years, with some abducted as far back as 2016 during a rally in support of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

IPOB has called on human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the situation and pressure the Nigerian government to release those detained.

They stress that prolonged illegal detention constitutes torture and a violation of fundamental human rights.

The group urged families with missing relatives to visit these detention centers to investigate the status of their loved ones and demands that the Nigerian government be held accountable for these alleged violations.

The IPOB spokesperson said “Igbos are the highest ethnic group that are being detained with accusations of being either members of IPOB or ESN (Eastern Security Network) or framed as kidnappers by the Nigeria Police, DSS (Department of State Services), and Army.

“Igbos have been profiled by reason of their ethnicity by the Nigerian government and hunted and detained across all the illegal detention centers in Nigeria.

“Not only the innocent Igbos are detained in these illegal detention facilities, but also innocent people from other ethnic groups are locked up in these gulags.

“Some of the IPOB members that the Nigerian Army and Police abducted during President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally in 2016 at Port Harcourt (Igweocha), Rivers State are still missing.

“IPOB is still searching for those men and women who were abducted during the peaceful rally, more than 8 years on.

“Nigerians with missing relatives should visit the above named detention centers for their loved ones to investigate to know if they are still alive.

“The public should also know that the Nigerian security forces keep moving the detainees from one detention center to another for reasons best known to them.

“The Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra is calling on human rights organisations, Amnesty International, Human Right Watch, Intersociety, and the UN Human Rights Council to initiate the move to find out how many of these detainees are still alive and compel the Nigerian government and her security agencies to release these innocent civilians from these dungeons.

“Prolonged illegal detention is torture, which is an abuse of fundamental human rights of those citizens.

“The Nigerian government is an embodiment of human rights violators, and it is time the government is called to order.”