A police unit established to combat kidnapping and armed robbery in Imo State has instead become a hub of alleged extrajudicial executions, torture and systematic extortion, Amnesty International said in a report released on Wednesday.
The unit, popularly known as “Tiger Base,” as stated in the report operates under the Imo State Police Command in Owerri.
According to the report, titled “Tiger Base of Atrocities: Human Rights Violations by Nigeria Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit Owerri,” detainees are routinely held in inhuman conditions, coerced into making confessions and, in some cases, shot or forcibly disappeared.
Amnesty International Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, in the report issued by its Social Media and Communications Officer, Michael Christian, said the unit had become notorious for abuse of power.
“Tiger Base has become synonymous with police operating outside of the law and abusing their power to enrich themselves through extortion.
“Those arrested and detained by this unit are subjected to torture and ill-treatment, they never come out intact. Many are traumatised forever.
“Despite the horrific violations they have suffered, there has been no accountability to date,” he said.
The report alleged that many detainees were held for weeks or months without being formally charged or brought before a court.
Former detainees further told Amnesty International that statements were often extracted under torture.
One survivor recounted his ordeal: “They arrested me insisting I bought stolen items. I told them I didn’t know anything about it. They locked me up and seized my phone.
“After about three weeks, a police officer came to take my statement. Still, they kept me locked up…. They later told us that the complainant claimed her loss was worth N14m (US$9,500) but that she agreed to collect N4.5m (US$3,100) instead. They said if I wanted to be released, my family would pay.”
Former detainees described being beaten with iron rods and cables, cut with knives and machetes, and suspended with ropes. The resulting confessions, Amnesty said, were then used to demand bribes before suspects could secure release on bail.
The report further alleged the existence of a thriving illegal Point of Sale operation within the detention facility, where relatives of detainees were required to withdraw and transfer money on the premises to secure release.
In some instances, detainees were allegedly taken from their cells and shot.
“The other guy took him out, we heard gunshots, we thought they had killed him but after some hours in the night, he came into the cell. We looked at his leg, and they shot him. He is carrying bullet wounds inside the cell with us; nobody cares,” a survivor told the organisation.
Amnesty International described severe overcrowding at the facility, with more than 70 detainees reportedly crammed into cells measuring about 12 feet by 12 feet.
The cells, the report said, have no windows and only one overflowing toilet, forcing detainees to eat, sleep and relieve themselves in the same confined space.
One former detainee told Amnesty International, “If you survive Cell 1, it is only by God’s grace. Many people disappeared after being moved there; nobody ever saw them again.”
Another described the response of officials to medical emergencies inside the cells: “People [in the cells] will be crying: ‘someone is dying here!’ They [officials] will still lock the cell gate…Then, even if they bring you out, they will still beat you up to see whether you are pretending or not. Then, they will take you out and keep you in the corridor for air. If you regain consciousness, they will throw you back into the cell…”
The report documented several alleged deaths in detention, including that of Okechukwu Ogbedagu in 2022.
Amnesty International said an autopsy it reviewed indicated that he died of asphyxiation.
Three youth leaders who had handed him over to the police were later charged with murder but were released after about six months.
In another case, Japhet Njoku, a security guard accused of theft, died in detention around May 5, 2025.
According to Amnesty, police officials told his family he was beaten to death in his cell. The organisation said officers had repeatedly failed to appear for a court-ordered autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Sanusi said the alleged abuses reflected broader systemic failures within Nigeria’s law enforcement institutions.
“The atrocities committed by the Tiger Base police unit are yet another sign of the Nigerian authorities’ failure to end widespread torture, extrajudicial execution, extortion and other crimes at the hands of law enforcement.
“It appears the police have not learnt any lessons from the #EndSARS protests. Instead of being held accountable, corrupt police officers have been emboldened to commit human rights violations by the impunity they enjoy,” he said.
He urged authorities to establish “an independent, impartial and effective investigation” into the allegations and to examine the conduct of the unit’s commander and other officers.
“Under Nigeria’s constitution and international and regional human rights treaties authorities have an obligation to ensure that human rights violations uncovered at Tiger Base are investigated and suspected perpetrators brought to justice, while victims receive adequate reparation,” Sanusi added.
Amnesty International said the unit, originally created to tackle kidnapping in Imo State, has in recent years deviated significantly from its mandate, becoming associated with unlawful arrests, arbitrary detention, torture, extortion, enforced disappearances and corruption.
Reacting, a civic people-centered group, Oganihu, called on Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State to authorise immediate investigation and disbandment of the Tiger Base.
The group warned that if not immediately addressed, the state was at the risk of escalating public anger and undermining confidence in government institutions for allowing abusive police units to operate without oversight.
The petition, signed by Prof Chijioke Uwasomba and Dr Chido Onumah, on behalf of the group, called on Uzodimma to immediately intervene, investigate, and disband the anti-kidnapping unit.
They called for immediate and decisive intervention to restore the rule of law, safeguard the dignity of citizens, and reaffirm that no unit of the state operates above the law.
According to Oganihu, between 2021 and 2025, extensive research showed that Tiger Base operatives were involved in systematic torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; extrajudicial executions and deaths in custody; enforced disappearances; prolonged arbitrary detention without charge; large-scale extortion of detainees and their families; sexual violence and gender-based abuse of suspects.
The group demanded an urgent public condemnation of torture and unlawful detention practices in Imo State and the establishment of an independent, time-bound judicial commission of inquiry into Tiger Base.
They further demanded the immediate suspension, thorough investigation of officers implicated, and
their diligent prosecution, where culpability was established.
They alleged that about 200 people may have died or disappeared in custody even as they listed Japhet Njoku, Magnus Ejiogu, Ekene Francis Elemuwa, Sunday and Calista Ifedi, Mmesoma Chukwunyere and others as victims.
Oganihu lamented that in many cases, families of deceased suspects were not formally notified of the deaths, corpses withheld, or were unaccounted for.
The group alleged that detainees were allegedly held for weeks or months without court appearance, adding that families were reportedly compelled to pay sums ranging from N200,000 to N20m to secure release.
“The case of Nmesoma Chukwunyere, a nursing trainee reportedly detained for months without charge despite lack of incriminating evidence, reflects a broader pattern of coercive detention and alleged manipulation of statements.
“Your Excellency, these chilling reports, containing shocking violations and breaches, are reportedly happening in the state under your watch. These allegations, if left unaddressed, deepen public distrust and demand urgent executive attention.
“Multiple petitions have reportedly been submitted to the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, the National Human Rights Commission,” Oganihu said.
In a reaction to the allegation of torture in December 2025, the state police command described the allegation that the unit “is a slaughter house” as “unfounded”, saying that it was intended to mislead the public.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, denied the allegations and expressed dismay over a viral social media publication that carried the allegations.
“Tiger Base is a legitimate tactical formation of the Nigeria Police Force mandated to combat kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, and other violent crimes.
“It is not an illegal detention facility or a slaughterhouse, and all suspects are handled in line with the law.
“The unit has successfully dismantled several notorious kidnapping and armed robbery syndicates, contributing to the improved peace and security that Imo residents enjoy today,” the PPRO had stated in the statement.
He further stated that there was no credible evidence supporting the allegations of torture, organ harvesting, or extrajudicial killings.
He explained that the false narratives were part of “a smear campaign by criminal elements affected by the current security operations.”
PUNCH.
