Amnesty International has voiced grave concerns over the continued detention and disappearance of Mr. Sunday Ifedi and his wife, Calista, allegedly abducted by Nigerian security forces in Enugu on November 23, 2021.
The international human rights watchdog warns that the couple faces a serious risk of torture and other ill-treatment, urging authorities to either release them unconditionally or formally charge them in court.
According to Amnesty International, the couple was arrested over alleged ties to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist movement advocating for an independent Biafra nation. Since their arrest, all efforts by their family and legal representatives to locate them have been unsuccessful, raising fears that they may have been subjected to enforced disappearance.
Human rights advocates argue that this case is part of a growing trend of unlawful detentions in southeastern Nigeria, where individuals suspected of links to separatist groups or dissenting political views are frequently arrested by state agents, often without formal charges or access to legal representation. Amnesty International has documented hundreds of such cases since 2016, highlighting a disturbing pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and prolonged incommunicado detention by Nigerian security forces.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly denied involvement in enforced disappearances, often claiming that security operations are conducted within the bounds of the law. However, families of missing persons continue to face an agonizing search for their loved ones, with many cases left unresolved.
Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian authorities to uphold their human rights obligations by providing information on the whereabouts of Mr. Ifedi and his wife, ensuring their safety, and granting them legal representation. The organization emphasizes that prolonged detention without trial or disclosure of a detainee’s location violates both Nigerian and international human rights laws.
As pressure mounts on the government to address allegations of unlawful detentions and enforced disappearances, rights groups continue to advocate for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s security operations, particularly in the volatile southeastern region.
