Our Reporter, Abuja
A damning new report has accused the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, popularly known as Tiger Base, of operating as a centre of systematic torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and large-scale extortion, with at least 200 detainees alleged to have died in custody over four years while implicated officers were promoted and rewarded.
The report, released on Monday by the Coalition Against Tiger Base Impunity (CAPTI) and titled “Tiger Base Files: Systematic Torture, Extrajudicial Killings, and the Collapse of Police Accountability in Imo State,” paints a grim picture of a police unit that, according to investigators, has become “a law unto itself,” openly defying courts, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and even directives from the Inspector-General of Police.
“This is not policing; it is organised, state-sanctioned violence,” said CAPTI coordinator Sanyaolu Juwon at the report’s release in Abuja on Monday at the Wuse 2 office of the rights group, Social Action.
“People are tortured to death, made to disappear, or extorted into poverty. When families seek justice, officers mock the courts. When oversight bodies intervene, detainees still end up dead. And instead of consequences, commanders are promoted.”
Nightly executions, hidden deaths
According to the report, at least 200 deaths were documented at Tiger Base between January 2021 and November 2025, with researchers warning that the real figure may be far higher. Former detainees interviewed by CAPTI alleged that executions often occurred at night, sometimes involving three to 20 people at a time, with bodies removed secretly and families never informed.
One of the cases highlighted is that of Japhet Njoku, a 32-year-old security guard and father of a two-month-old baby, who died in custody on May 5, 2025 after weeks of alleged torture over an unproven theft allegation. Despite repeated court orders for an autopsy and for officers to testify, police allegedly blocked the process and refused to appear. Months later, no autopsy has been conducted and no officer suspended. Instead, the unit’s commander was promoted.
Torture as routine practice
CAPTI said its investigation uncovered evidence of designated torture chambers within Tiger Base, where detainees are subjected to severe beatings, starvation, denial of medical care, suspension from trees in a practice survivors described as “crucifixion,” and hanging.
One survivor told investigators he was suspended from a tree for hours until he lost the use of his arms. When he failed to confess, officers allegedly demanded ₦2 million from his family. Unable to pay, he was charged with terrorism and remanded in prison. When researchers met him months later, he could barely stand.
Enforced disappearances, shifting narratives
The report documents multiple cases of enforced disappearance, including that of Reverend Cletus Nwachukwu Egole, arrested with his wife and eight children in February 2021. While his wife was eventually charged and released on bail, the reverend was never seen again. His wife told investigators: “The moment we alighted from the vehicle, I saw my husband, and that was the last time I saw him. I don’t know if he is alive or dead.”
Another case involves Chinonso Eluchie, a commercial motorcyclist arrested in September 2025 while buying fuel. Police initially denied holding him, later branded him a terrorist, and then accused him of supplying food to terrorists. His wife told CAPTI she was threatened by a senior officer, who allegedly warned that her husband would be killed if she continued asking questions.
Oversight ignored, courts mocked
Perhaps most alarming, the report alleges that Tiger Base operatives routinely ignore court orders and even interventions by the NHRC. In one case, Magnus Ejiogu died in custody in October 2025 weeks after the NHRC documented his torture and secured approval from the Inspector-General of Police to transfer his case to Abuja. Police allegedly blocked the transfer and later claimed he died of “sudden illness.”
In another instance, officers allegedly defied a High Court order to produce Obinna Orji, detained for eight months. When his sister pursued the matter in court, she was reportedly mocked by officers who said she had “spoilt” what could have been “settled” internally.
Extortion, hostage-taking and dissent crushed
Beyond killings and torture, the report describes Tiger Base as an extortion hub, where detainees and their families are forced to pay between ₦200,000 and ₦20 million for release. Officers allegedly take detainees to POS operators to withdraw cash and even subject victims to political vetting, with those not linked to the ruling party facing harsher treatment.
CAPTI also accused the unit of arresting relatives as hostages when suspects cannot be found. One victim, Melody Anyanwu, lost her father and unborn child after she and her father were allegedly tortured in custody when police failed to locate her boyfriend.
Journalists, lawyers and critics of the Imo State government were also listed among victims. The report recalls the detention of former commissioner Fabian Ihekweme, who was held for 61 days before a court declared his arrest illegal and unconstitutional.
Promotions instead of punishment
Despite these allegations, CAPTI said officers implicated in abuses have been rewarded. In August 2025, Tiger Base commander Oladimeji Adeyeyiwa was promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police and earlier received an award as “Best Crime Buster of the Year.”
“The system does not merely tolerate impunity,” Juwon said. “It celebrates it.”
Calls for action
CAPTI called for the immediate suspension and prosecution of implicated officers, independent investigations into all deaths, accountability for disappeared persons, reversal of promotions, reparations for victims, and urgent structural reforms at Tiger Base. The coalition said it has submitted the report to UN special rapporteurs, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the ECOWAS Court and diplomatic missions.
“If the National Human Rights Commission cannot protect detainees from Tiger Base, then the entire oversight system has collapsed,” the report warned.
