ABUJA, Nigeria — At least 30 people were shot and killed by gunmen in southeastern Nigeria’s Imo state during a brutal highway ambush early Thursday, according to Amnesty International, in one of the deadliest attacks in the region this year.
The human rights group said the attackers, suspected to be members of the banned separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), also torched more than 20 vehicles and trucks during the assault. The group issued a statement via social media platform X, urging Nigerian authorities to swiftly investigate and prosecute those responsible.
The attack unfolded around 4 a.m. local time on a major highway, where the assailants, divided into three groups, reportedly opened fire indiscriminately on travelers before setting their vehicles ablaze, police said.
Imo state police spokesperson Henry Okoye confirmed the incident but declined to provide an official death toll, saying only that one of the gunmen was killed in a shootout with police. “A full-scale search and cordon operation is currently underway,” Okoye said, noting that security forces are combing nearby forests and surrounding communities for suspects.
The IPOB, which seeks independence for southeastern Nigeria’s Igbo-majority population, has been accused in previous years of orchestrating violent attacks, though it denies targeting civilians. Nigeria’s federal government has designated the group a terrorist organization.
The timing of Thursday’s massacre coincided with President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the region and came just days after IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu made a court appearance on terrorism charges in Abuja. Kanu’s continued detention has fueled tensions in the southeast, where calls for self-determination remain a politically volatile issue.
Amnesty International condemned the violence and called on authorities to uphold justice. “The Nigerian government must promptly and impartially investigate this horrific attack and ensure those responsible are brought to justice in accordance with international human rights standards,” the organization stated.
The southeast has seen sporadic unrest and targeted killings in recent years amid growing separatist sentiment. The legacy of Nigeria’s 1967-70 Biafran civil war, which claimed over one million lives, continues to shape the region’s complex relationship with the central government.
