At least 30 citizens killed, dozens abducted and tortured as Intersociety petition forces killer outfit into hiding
Awka, Anambra State – A human rights organization has successfully exposed a deadly vigilante group responsible for killing at least 30 defenceless citizens and abducting dozens more across communities in Anambra and Imo States since 2022.
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), based in Onitsha, Anambra State, submitted a petition to the Anambra State Government on July 25, 2025, detailing the activities of the Ndikeokwu-Uli Vigilante Outfit. The group has been operating killer-camps in Ihiala Local Government Area, terrorizing residents of Amorka, Uli (both in Anambra), Egbuoma (Imo State), and Ohakpu (Imo State).
State Security Forces Rescue Six Captives
Following Intersociety’s petition, the Anambra State Government-owned Agunaechemba Security Outfit launched raids on the vigilante group’s camps in Uli, rescuing four captives. Two additional citizens were freed from Onitsha Army Barracks after being tracked by the human rights organization.
The raids forced the vigilante operatives to flee and go into hiding, effectively liberating the affected communities from their reign of terror.
Military Personnel, Billionaires Allegedly Complicit
According to Intersociety’s investigation, the vigilante group operated in collusion with personnel from a Nigerian Security agency in Imo and Anambra state
The petition also alleges that “troublesome local billionaires” employed the vigilante operatives for “dirty jobs,” then flew them to neighbouring countries for months to avoid exposure and prosecution.
Victims were routinely labelled as members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Eastern Security Network (ESN), or Unknown Gunmen (UGM) before being killed or disappeared—a pretext Intersociety says has been used to kill over 20,000 defenceless citizens across Southeast Nigeria since August 2015.
Ten Confirmed Deaths in Egbuoma Community
Field investigations coordinated Intersociety staff and eyewitness documented 10 citizens from Egbuoma-Oguta Community killed by the vigilante group since 2022 including Chijioke Mgbeobu (March 2023), Sunday Onyebuchi (September 2022), Livinus Mmuo (May 2023) Ikechi Obiejemba (October 2023) and Uchenna Ahize (December 2023). Others include Happiness Okorie (June 2023), Stainless Ogunji (September 2023), Onyebuchi Okorie (February 2024), Chidi Ohanyele (January 5, 2024), Nwute (February 1, 2025)
Additional victims from Uli and surrounding areas bring the confirmed death toll to at least 30, with several more persons still missing.
Intersociety further alleged that the vigilante group allegedly ran a sophisticated extortion racket, collecting millions of naira as “ransoms” or “bail fees” from families of abducted victims.
One victim’s mother was forced to empty her savings of N550,000 and told to sell her husband’s ancestral land for an additional N3 million. Despite the payment, her son Kosarachi Ohajuba was not released.
Another victim, Achiose Odemgbe, was abducted on July 29, 2024, and held for over three weeks until his family paid N3 million for his release.
Intersociety petition also cited an incident on Friday, July 11, 2025 when the vigilante group invaded a popular junction near Afor-Egbu Market in Ebenano Village, Egbuoma, in broad daylight. They opened fire indiscriminately and looted several items including electronics, fuel, phones and beer from residents . At least 10 houses in Egbuoma, particularly in Ebenano village, were burned or destroyed during the raid.
A Survivor Recount A Harrowing Tale: 14 Executed in Uli Camp:
According to INTERSOCIETY, A survivor of Uli torture camp, Kosarachi Ohajuba, who was freed on September 4, 2025, provided a chilling testimony about his ordeal to the organisation .
Abducted on June 20, 2025, he was held in a Uli torture camp where he found 18 other male captives.When he and three others were transferred to a nearby Army camp, only four remained alive—14 had been executed.
Ohajuba spent over two months in six different detention facilities, including vigilante camps and Army barracks. At one point, he was blindfolded and transported on a two-day journey to Sokoto State in northern Nigeria, where a Muslim Army officer confirmed their location.
He was eventually returned to Onitsha Army Barracks and detained at an off-barracks “civilian mammy cell.” Using a cellmate’s phone, he called his mother, who contacted Intersociety. He was freed without payment on September 4, 2025.
Back home in his Egbuoma-Oguta community in Imo state, the entire community erupted in celebrations upon his return, with masquerades and entertainment troupes marking his survival.
Demands for Justice and Compensation
Intersociety is calling on the Anambra State Government to: Completely sanitize all vigilante camps across the state; Continue manhunt for all killer-operatives until captured; Disarm, blacklist, and dismiss all involved personnel; Prosecute those responsible for murders and related crimes; Identify all victims and pay adequate compensation to prevent revenge and lawsuits
Intersociety’s petition noted that the false labelling of citizens as IPOB, ESN, or Unknown Gunmen members has become a pretext for extrajudicial killings across Southeast Nigeria. The organization estimates that over 20,000 defenceless, unprocessed, and untried citizens have been killed or disappeared in the region since August 2015.
The successful exposure and dismantling of the Ndikeokwu-Uli Vigilante Outfit marks a significant victory for human rights advocacy in the region, though much work remains to bring all perpetrators to justice and provide compensation to victims and their families.
