In the month of May 2019, there was a terrifying spike in the number of violent killings in Rivers state. While We the People in its Atrocities Monitoring Report for the previous Month of April recorded 16 incidents that resulted in 46 killings, an alarming 21 incidents were documented in the month of May that led to 80 verified deaths. 6 of the killings were carried out through beheadings.

With the rising cases of atrocious murders in Rivers state, it is evident that law enforcement agencies are clearly ill equipped, incapable or unwilling to take any serious actions to address the insecurity in the state. The ready response of law enforcement especially the Police, to the rising incidents of atrocious killings in the state is to simply attribute it to the activity of criminal gangs. In describing it thus, the demand for accountability through investigation and prosecution is almost certainly jettisoned. In tracking these cases and producing this report, We the People hopes to pressure the government and its agencies to account for these deaths. The principal responsibility of government is the security of its citizens. In Rivers state, this has been a woeful failure.