Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A new report detailing the ordeal of civilians from Nigeria's South-East who were allegedly forced to confess to crimes they did not commit has raised troubling questions about the integrity of the country's counter-terrorism trials and the treatment of detainees accused of belonging to the Indigenous People of Biafra. The 31‑page investigation, released by the United States-based Ekwenche Research Institute and the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, alleges that at least eight Igbo civilians detained at the Wawa Military Cantonment in Niger State were coerced into pleading guilty to terrorism-related charges, with some receiving prison sentences of up to 20 years or life imprisonment.
According to the report, the eight detainees—Chidiebere Luke Echefu, Chidiebere Christian Ugwu, Nnabuike Romanus Erikeigwe, Ferdinand Uchenna Ede, Azoribe Samuel Onu, Ndukwe Kalu Iroha, Okolo Godwin Ejiofor and Abel Onyekachi Michael—were among those "bundled" to the military facility in Kainji, Niger State, after being arrested in different parts of the South-East. The organisations said the cases reflected a broader pattern in which South-East civilians accused of being IPOB members or supporters were transferred to detention facilities in northern Nigeria and subjected to proceedings without adequate access to lawyers, families or independent witnesses.
Central to the report's findings is the allegation that detainees were "deceitfully told to plead guilty and get freed or clemencies," but that some of those who accepted the offer were subsequently sentenced to lengthy prison terms. In one particularly troubling case, the report claimed that Nnabuike Romanus Erikeigwe, detained since 2025, pleaded not guilty but was "coercively recorded as having pleaded guilty" and subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison. Another detainee, Ferdinand Uchenna Ede, reportedly detained in 2022, was allegedly forced to plead guilty before receiving a 20-year sentence.
The report also highlighted the case of Abel Onyekachi Michael, describing it as "particularly troubling." According to the organisations, Michael had been detained for years without trial, and when he was finally brought before a court, he was subjected to the same coercive tactics. The report further noted the case of Ozioma Elizabeth Onyeaka, who remained on trial after more than five years in detention. The organisations alleged that the cases demonstrated a pattern in which South-East civilians accused of being IPOB members or supporters were transferred to detention facilities in northern Nigeria and subjected to proceedings without adequate legal representation.
The report was released against the backdrop of a broader crisis of missing persons in the South-East. The Ekwenche Research Institute and Intersociety estimated that at least 6,000 Igbo families are still searching for sons and daughters who disappeared between January 2021 and July 2026. According to the organisations, about 70 per cent of the missing persons were allegedly taken into military custody and "dumped inside the WAWA Military Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State". The report also alleged that about 400 South-East civilians were abducted by the military in the first seven months of 2026 alone, with their whereabouts unknown.
The allegations have drawn renewed attention to the conditions at the Wawa Military Cantonment, a facility that has been described by human rights groups as a site of prolonged detention, torture and enforced disappearances. In July 2026, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre petitioned the National Human Rights Commission to investigate allegations of arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances at the facility. Former detainees have reportedly alleged prolonged confinement, inadequate feeding, poor sanitation, lack of medical care, physical abuse, psychological trauma and deaths in custody.
The report has also reignited debate over the prosecution of IPOB suspects. Human rights lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, who has represented several detainees, previously described his experience at the Federal High Court as "heart-wrenching," claiming that many of the accused persons had spent more than five years in detention at the Wawa Military Barracks without contact with their families. Ejimakor said some detainees informed him that they were willing to plead guilty because they feared being returned to detention or had been promised lighter punishment. "They are pleading guilty for fear of being returned to detention in a strange Northern land called Wawa in Kanji, Niger State. The land of the living dead!!!!" Ejimakor wrote in a post on X.
The Nigerian military and security agencies have not yet responded to the specific allegations contained in the Ekwenche-Intersociety report. However, the government has previously defended its operations in the South-East as necessary to combat terrorism and restore peace. The Indigenous People of Biafra, which has been proscribed and designated a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian government, has consistently denied involvement in violence and called for a referendum on self-determination.
As the report continues to generate debate, the families of the eight detainees and thousands of others await answers. The alleged coercive plea process, the lengthy sentences and the prolonged detention without trial raise fundamental questions about due process and the rule of law in Nigeria's counter-terrorism efforts. The government's response to these allegations will be a critical test of its commitment to justice and human rights.
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