Amnesty International has accused a police anti-kidnapping unit in Imo State, popularly known as Tiger Base, of engaging in torture, extrajudicial killings and widespread extortion, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The rights organisation alleged that the unit, operating under the Imo State Police Command in Owerri, has strayed from its mandate of tackling kidnapping and armed robbery and has instead become associated with serious human rights abuses.
In the report titled “Tiger Base of Atrocities: Human Rights Violations by Nigeria Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit Owerri,” Amnesty claimed detainees were subjected to harsh detention conditions, forced confessions and, in some instances, enforced disappearance or shootings while in custody.
Amnesty International Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, in a statement issued by the organisation’s Social Media and Communications Officer, Michael Christian, described the facility as notorious for abuse and impunity.
He said the unit had become synonymous with law enforcement officers operating outside legal boundaries, alleging that suspects were routinely tortured and financially exploited, with many victims left traumatised and without justice.
According to the report, several detainees were allegedly held for weeks or months without formal charges or court appearances, while statements were said to have been extracted under torture.
One survivor narrated that he was arrested over alleged possession of stolen goods and detained for weeks despite denying involvement, adding that officers later demanded payment from his family before granting his release.
Former detainees also alleged severe physical abuse, including beatings with cables and iron rods, cuts inflicted with sharp objects and suspension with ropes, with confessions obtained under duress reportedly used to demand bribes.
Amnesty further alleged that an illegal Point-of-Sale payment system operated within the facility, where relatives of suspects were compelled to withdraw and transfer money on the premises to secure bail.
The organisation also documented claims that some detainees were taken from their cells and shot, with one survivor recounting how a fellow inmate returned with gunshot wounds after being removed by officers.
The report highlighted extreme overcrowding, alleging that more than 70 detainees were packed into cells measuring about 12 feet by 12 feet, without ventilation and relying on a single overflowing toilet, forcing inmates to eat, sleep and relieve themselves in the same space.
Detainees also described delayed and sometimes violent responses to medical emergencies, claiming officers assaulted sick inmates before allowing access to fresh air or treatment.
Amnesty cited cases of deaths in custody, including that of Okechukwu Ogbedagu in 2022, whose autopsy reportedly indicated death by asphyxiation, and Japhet Njoku, a security guard who allegedly died in detention in May 2025 after being beaten.
Sanusi said the allegations reflected deeper institutional failures within Nigeria’s policing system, adding that authorities appeared not to have learnt lessons from the #EndSARS protests against police brutality.
He called for an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations and urged authorities to examine the conduct of the unit’s leadership and ensure justice for victims.
The organisation maintained that Nigerian authorities were constitutionally obligated to investigate alleged abuses, prosecute offenders and provide compensation for victims.
Reacting to the report, a civic group, Oganihu, urged Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, to immediately order an investigation and disband the Tiger Base unit, warning that continued inaction could erode public confidence in government institutions.
In a petition signed by Prof. Chijioke Uwasomba and Dr. Chido Onumah, the group alleged that between 2021 and 2025, research indicated widespread torture, unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, prolonged detention without trial, extortion and cases of sexual and gender-based abuse linked to operatives of the unit.
The group called for urgent intervention to restore the rule of law and ensure that no security outfit operates above the law in the state.
