Amnesty International has sharply criticised security authorities following a violent attack on St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Lilu, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where armed men killed a worshipper and abducted the wife of the church’s Reverend.
The global human rights organisation, in a statement issued on Monday, described the incident as a brutal and deeply troubling assault.
According to Amnesty, gunmen stormed the church in the early hours of Sunday, shooting a male congregant and seizing the cleric’s wife, whose body was later discovered mutilated and partially unclothed.
Amnesty International condemned the attack as “gruesome,” insisting that the circumstances surrounding the incident demand a transparent and unbiased investigation.
The organisation urged the government to take urgent steps to ensure those responsible are identified and prosecuted.
Beyond calling for justice, Amnesty questioned the security mechanism in place at the time of the attack.
It drew attention to the fact that the Agunechemba Security outfit, a community-focused security initiative supported by the Anambra State Government, operates from a base located within the church premises.
The group argued that such an attack occurring close to a security post raises serious questions about preparedness and response capacity.
The rights watchdog also used the incident to highlight broader issues of insecurity across Nigeria, noting that thousands of citizens have fallen victim to armed criminal groups over the past decade.
Amnesty stated that despite federal government assurances and numerous security initiatives under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, violent attacks continue to persist.
According to the group, several communities in different regions have been overrun by armed groups since 2023, illustrating what it described as the government’s “continued failure to safeguard lives.”
The Anambra State Police Command later released its own statement confirming the attack and describing the level of destruction at the scene.
Police spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga said parts of the church building were set ablaze, and several properties within the compound were vandalised.
Ikenga noted that the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, denounced the attack as “heinous” and warned that the command would not permit criminal elements to intimidate worshippers or destabilise communities.
He expressed condolences to the bereaved families and assured residents that the police were intensifying efforts to apprehend the perpetrators.
The command announced heightened intelligence operations across the area and the deployment of additional patrol and surveillance teams.
Residents of Lilu and neighbouring communities were encouraged to remain calm and to cooperate with investigators by providing any useful information.
