Tensions are rising in Anambra State as the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has issued a stark warning to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, urging him to prevent the resurgence of the dreaded vigilante group, the Bakassi Boys. According to a damning report, at least 40 people have been unlawfully killed, and properties worth billions of naira have been destroyed in just one month, raising serious human rights concerns.
The group likened the unfolding situation to the dark era of former Governor Chinweoke Mbadinuju, whose administration was marred by the excesses of the Bakassi Boys, extrajudicial killings, and gross human rights violations. Intersociety cautioned Soludo against making the same mistakes, warning that if left unchecked, these atrocities could taint his legacy and erode public trust in his administration.
In its statement, Intersociety emphasized the urgent need for a forensic transformation of the notorious Awkuzu Rapid Response Squad Police Headquarters, which has long been associated with extrajudicial killings and rights abuses. The group proposed renaming the facility after Barnabas Igwe and Amaka Igwe, two prominent lawyers who were brutally murdered during Mbadinuju’s tenure for speaking out against state-sponsored impunity.
The organization also demanded that Governor Soludo take decisive action against violent criminals and their sponsors—but strictly within the ambit of the law. It condemned the current trend of indiscriminate killings, abductions, and disappearances, stressing that law enforcement success should never be measured by the body count of alleged offenders.
Intersociety’s report paints a chilling picture of a return to trial by ordeal, false labelling, and jungle justice, which were hallmarks of the Bakassi Boys’ reign of terror. The group provided horrifying details, including an incident where a young man’s throat was slit and his body dismembered just meters from the Anambra Government House in Awka—before the eyes of international human rights observers.
It further alleged that:
At least 30 properties worth billions of naira have been unlawfully razed.
Traditional religious sanctuaries, including two in Okija, have been torched, and their priests abducted.
Pastors and prophets across the state are facing severe threats to their lives and ministries.
Intersociety urged Soludo, a distinguished professor and self-proclaimed human rights advocate, to steer clear of reintroducing Bakassi-style militia governance. The group proposed the digitalization and modernization of Anambra’s law enforcement architecture, advocating for a state-of-the-art forensic facility at Awkuzu to replace the infamous SARS torture chambers.
The envisioned “Barnabas and Amaka Igwe Police Forensic Headquarters, Awkuzu” would serve as a model for crime detection and digital intelligence in the Southeast, eliminating the barbarity often associated with police operations in the region.
Governor Soludo now faces a defining moment: Will he restore law and order through justice, transparency, and the rule of law, or will he allow the state to relapse into the chaos of extrajudicial killings and unchecked vigilante brutality?
With international human rights groups already monitoring the situation, the world is watching. Anambra’s future—and Soludo’s legacy—hangs in the balance.
PIONEER NEWS 