Amnesty International on Wednesday announced the launch of its report on the security crisis in the South-East, blaming the former President Muhammadu Buhari regime’s brutal crackdown.

In a statement, the human rights organisation announced the launch of its latest report on the “horrific” security crisis in the South-East that claimed the lives of “thousands and led to the enforced disappearance and displacement of hundreds of people”.

Amnesty International further blamed the Buhari-led government for its brutal clampdown on pro-Biafra protesters in 2015, escalating the crisis and bloodshed in the South-East.

“The Nigerian authorities’ brutal clampdown on pro-Biafra protests from August 2015 plunged the South-East region into an endless cycle of bloodshed, which has created a climate of fear and left many communities vulnerable,” Amnesty International said. “Assassinations of prominent personalities and attacks on highways, security personnel, and facilities are chilling reminders of the region’s insecurity.”

The human rights organisation noted that the “Nigerian authorities must do more to protect lives in the region and ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations are brought to justice through fair trials”.

In 2016, Amnesty International reported how Nigerian security operatives killed not less than 150 unarmed pro-Biafra protesters, a move that escalated the crisis in the region.