The South East region of the country witnessed a surge in violence perpetrated by separatist groups enforcing sit-at-home orders, which essentially attacked Nigeria’s sovereignty with effrontery and arrant disregard for constituted authority.

The alarming situation escalated on November 18, 2024, when unknown gunmen launched simultaneous attacks on Abatete and Ukpo communities in Anambra state, leaving a trail of destruction and death, including three vigilante members and an innocent citizen. These senseless attacks were recurring nightmares which instilled fear and uncertainty among the populace.

In the year under review, another devastating attack in Aba, Abia state resulted in the loss of 11 lives, including five military personnel and six civilians, with the Army blaming the outlawed separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, for the incident.

Many civilians among whom were youths were alleged to have been killed, harassed and assaulted by security personnel in a bid to end the reign of the separatist group in the region.

In fact, a report by SMB Morgen, an Africa-focused market/security intelligence gathering firm, revealed that a staggering N419.2 million ransom was paid between July 2023 and June 2024 in the South-East.

This alarming figure accounted for 40% of the total N1.048 billion paid across the six geo-political zones during the same period, with Anambra State being the hardest hit, as families shelled out N350.2 million in ransom payments, a whopping 88% of the N400 million demanded by kidnappers.

A breakdown of the ransom payments across the South-East states as revealed by the report, showed that Imo State paid N39 million as ransom, Abia State paid N25 million, while Enugu State and Ebonyi State paid significantly lower amounts, with N4 million and N1 million, respectively, as ransom in one year.

But in the regional breakdown of the N2.2 trillion ransom payments made in the same period.

According to another data from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its 2024 Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, the South-East paid N85.4 billion, an amount lower when compared to N1.2 trillion paid in the North West, which accounted for the highest share. (Vanguard)