•FENRAD urges immediate overhaul of security apparatus in Mbano and environs

Frontline rights group, the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), has raised the alarm following reports of a violent incursion by suspected gunmen into a community in Imo State’s Mbano region, which left residents trapped and terrified for hours amidst sporadic gunfire.

FENRAD in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor,

quoted local reports to the effect that, the heavily armed attackers stormed the community in the early hours of today, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, “unleashing a wave of violence that persisted for several hours. Residents were forced into hiding, while movement within and outside the affected areas was paralyzed. The exact number of casualties remains unclear, but multiple sources confirm that several homes were torched and properties looted.”

FENRAD strongly condemned the attack and decried “the growing insecurity that continues to plague communities across Imo State.”

“This is yet another horrific reminder that the current security framework in Mbano and its neighboring towns is insufficient and unsustainable,” it said, adding: “We call for an urgent and comprehensive overhaul of the security apparatus in the entire area. Local and state security operatives must be retrained, better equipped, and made more accountable to the people they are meant to protect.”

FENRAD also called on the Imo State Government, South East Governors Forum, and federal security agencies to immediately deploy tactical teams to secure the region, restore order, and ensure the perpetrators of this heinous crime are apprehended and prosecuted.

The organization further urged government authorities to prioritise intelligence gathering, community policing, and a people-centric approach to security, warning that failure to act could embolden more attacks and deepen the cycle of violence and fear in the region.

“This is a moment of truth for our leaders,” Nwafor emphasized. “The safety of Imo citizens must not be negotiable.”

FENRAD expressed its solidarity with the victims and families affected and pledged to continue its advocacy for justice, peace, and human dignity across Nigeria.