The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has alleged that more than 6,000 Igbo families in the South-East are still searching for relatives who reportedly went missing after encounters with security personnel between January 2021 and July 2026.
The human rights organisation said the alleged disappearances had contributed to growing distrust among young people in the region and may be one of the factors discouraging some Igbo youths from joining the Nigerian military.
Intersociety made the claim in a report jointly issued with the United States-based Ekwenche Research Institute. The report also alleged that at least 299 Nigerian Christians were killed and 213 abducted across the country in July 2026.
According to the organisations, the cases involved alleged abductions, enforced disappearances, unlawful killings and what they described as the wrongful labelling of civilians as members or supporters of proscribed groups.
The report said more than 6,000 families had been unable to establish the whereabouts of their sons and daughters whom it alleged were taken into the custody of security personnel.
It further claimed that about 70 per cent of the alleged disappearances involved military detention facilities, while the police and Department of State Services (DSS) were respectively linked to 20 per cent and 10 per cent of the cases.
The organisations also alleged that more than 5,000 unarmed residents of the former Eastern Nigeria had remained unaccounted for after allegedly being arrested during pro-Biafra self-determination protests between August 2015 and July 2026.
They accused security agencies of attributing a large proportion of violent incidents in the South-East to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The report cited military operations in Abia State in September 2017 among what it described as major incidents involving alleged killings and disappearances.
It also alleged that about 400 South-East Judeo-Christian civilians were abducted by the military between January and July 2026 and that their whereabouts remained unknown.
299 Christians allegedly killed in July
On the broader security situation, Intersociety and Ekwenche Research Institute alleged that 299 Christians were killed and 213 abducted across Nigeria in July 2026.
The report identified Benue as the state with the highest number of alleged deaths, with 65 people reportedly killed and 30 abducted.
Southern Kaduna followed with 58 alleged deaths and 70 abductions, while Plateau was reported to have recorded 55 deaths and 10 abductions.
Adamawa and Niger were also listed among the affected states, with 35 and 30 alleged deaths respectively.
The organisations further alleged that armed herders had attacked communities in Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states.
In Enugu State, they identified Ezeagu, Isi-Uzo, Uzo-Uwani and Nkanu East Local Government Areas as areas they said had experienced attacks, displacement and damage to places of worship.
The report also alleged that thousands of civilians had been killed or died in custody during security operations in the South-East.
However, the allegations contained in the report had not received a response from the Nigerian military, police or DSS as of the time of filing this report.
