…accuses security operatives of unprofessionalism, lack of intelligence gathering
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has alleged that armed state actors have attacked and razed down 200 Synagogues, 300 traditional sanctuaries in Imo state.
The group recalled that the beginning of armed state actor mass murders, abductions, arbitrary arrests, long detention without trial, class criminalization and stigmatization, disappearances and civilian house burnings in Imo State started in January 2021 with indiscriminate clamp down, false labeling and property attacks directed at residents of Orlu part of the State.
Intersociety alleged that during the period over 33 leaders/members of the African Instituted Churches branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) or Synagogues were arrested and their churches raided and destroyed.
The Chairman of Intersociety Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi during a press conference alleged that Government of Imo State also responded and justified the attacks by issuing a statement through its Attorney General, accusing them of “sponsoring Unknown Gunmen and ESN/IPOB and providing spiritual backups and charms for them”.
“Such despicable, condemnable and internationally prohibited class criminalization and stigmatization had arisen from unsubstantiated narratives or allegations derived from false and corrupted intelligence that “IPOB members are faithful of Jewish Synagogues and traditional religions which provide them with bullet-proof charms when under attack, therefore, all White Garment Churches and Traditional Religious Sanctuaries belong to ESN/IPOB/Unknown Gunmen members/supporters.
“It was on the basis of such false narratives and labeling that the armed state actors adopted sundry jungle justice methods and internationally prohibited acts to unleash widespread state crimes against persons and properties of the Synagogues and the sacred traditional sanctuaries, their symbols and principal worshippers.
“This is to the extent that in the 29 months gone by, armed state actors have targeted and destroyed or burned down at least 300 traditional religious sanctuaries and 200 Synagogues in Imo State and their principal worshippers including prophets and oracle men killed or disappeared or incarcerated.
“Not less than 95% of the victims of mass murders, abductions, disappearances and other internationally prohibited acts in Imo under Hope Uzodinma as Governor have been identified as defenseless and unarmed, attacked and killed or abducted, tortured and permanently disappeared by the drafted security forces using internationally prohibited class criminalization and reprisals.
“The attacks on defenseless civilian properties leading to armed state actors’ burning down or destruction of 1,200 civilian houses are also perpetrated using class criminalization and reprisals targeted at the defenseless or uninvolved citizens.
“Apart from lack of professionalism, administrative and operational competence, the drafted military, police and spy police personnel specifically adopted ethnic and religious profiling as their operational modus operandi in Imo State, in addition to lopsided composition of the command and rank and file of the drafted security agencies with over 80% of their commanding officers hailed from Northern Muslim extraction and others from outside the South-East” Umeagbalasi alleged.