Amnesty International has accused a police unit in Imo State, popularly known as “Tiger Base,” of engaging in torture, extrajudicial executions and widespread extortion, contrary to its mandate to combat kidnapping and armed robbery.
In a report released on Wednesday and titled “Tiger Base of Atrocities: Human Rights Violations by Nigeria Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit Owerri,” the organisation alleged that the unit, which operates under the Imo State Police Command, has become synonymous with grave human rights abuses.
The report claimed that detainees are routinely subjected to inhuman conditions, coerced into signing confessional statements and, in some instances, shot or forcibly disappeared.
Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, in a statement issued through the group’s Social Media and Communications Officer, Michael Christian, said the unit had gained notoriety for operating outside the bounds of the law.
According to him, individuals arrested by the unit often endure torture and other forms of ill-treatment, with little or no accountability for alleged abuses.
Amnesty further alleged that suspects were frequently detained for weeks or months without formal charges or court appearance, while confessions were extracted under duress.
One former detainee recounted being arrested over allegations of purchasing stolen goods and held for weeks before being asked to secure his release through payment after a negotiated settlement figure was allegedly presented to him.
The report detailed claims by ex-detainees who said they were beaten with metal objects and cables, cut with sharp instruments and suspended with ropes.
Amnesty alleged that such confessions were subsequently used to extort money from suspects and their families as a condition for bail.
It also claimed that an illicit Point of Sale operation functioned within the detention facility, where relatives were compelled to withdraw and transfer funds on-site to facilitate release.
Some detainees reportedly alleged that fellow inmates were removed from cells and shot.
One survivor narrated that a detainee was taken out, gunshots were heard and he later returned with a gunshot wound, allegedly without medical attention.
Amnesty described severe congestion at the facility, alleging that more than 70 persons were confined in cells measuring about 12 by 12 feet, with no windows and only one toilet, forcing inmates to eat, sleep and relieve themselves in the same space.
The report cited multiple alleged deaths in custody, including that of Okechukwu Ogbedagu in 2022, which it said an autopsy attributed to asphyxiation.
It also referenced the death of a security guard, Japhet Njoku, in May 2025, claiming that police officers had failed to appear for a court-ordered autopsy.
Sanusi said the allegations underscored systemic lapses within Nigeria’s law enforcement architecture and lamented what he described as persistent impunity.
He called for an independent and impartial investigation into the activities of the unit, including scrutiny of its commander and personnel, stressing that authorities are constitutionally and legally bound to investigate human rights violations and ensure accountability and reparations for victims.
Reacting to the report, a civic group, Oganihu, urged Hope Uzodimma to order an immediate probe and disband the unit.
In a petition signed by Prof. Chijioke Uwasomba and Dr. Chido Onumah, the group warned that failure to act decisively could erode public confidence in government institutions and heighten tensions in the state.
Oganihu alleged that between 2021 and 2025, research findings linked operatives of the unit to torture, unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, prolonged detention without trial, extortion and other abuses, and called for urgent steps to restore public trust and uphold the rule of law.