Over 30 dead in suspected separatist attack in Nigerias southeast – Amnesty International reports [Video]

30 lives were lost when gunmen launched a deadly ambush on travelers along a major highway in southeastern Nigeria, according to rights watchdog Amnesty International.

The organization reported on Friday that more than 20 vehicles, including trucks, were torched during the brazen assault on the Okigwe-Owerri highway in Imo State on Thursday. While police have acknowledged the incident, they have not confirmed the number of casualties.

No group has stepped forward to claim responsibility, but authorities suspect the involvement of the Eastern Security Network, a militant wing of the banned separatist movement, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

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The roots of the secessionist struggle in Nigeria’s southeast stretch back to the Biafran War of 1967–1970, during which the self-declared Republic of Biafra attempted to break away from Nigeria. The conflict claimed an estimated one million lives, many due to famine.

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