From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), a civil society group, has called for the immediate closure of the Imo State Anti-Kidnapping Unit, known as Tiger Base, under the Imo State Police Command.
The group also demanded an investigation into the unit’s officers over allegations of extrajudicial killings, torture, extortion, and illegal detention.
RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, made the demand following the alleged torture and death of Japheth Njoku, a 32-year-old detainee, who died in custody on May 6, 2025, after being held since March 2025 over an alleged cigarette theft.
In a statement, RULAAC expressed grave concern over persistent reports of widespread human rights abuses, including torture, unlawful detention, extortion, and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by Tiger Base operatives.
“Japheth Njoku was not a criminal. He was a newlywed, a dedicated employee at Alaba Market in Owerri for over a decade. His only crime was being poor and powerless in a country where truth is often silenced,” the statement read.
According to RULAAC, Japheth was detained in March 2025 over a minor cigarette theft allegation, which was resolved with the complainant. However, before his release, Mrs. Oluchi Obiagwu, a trader at the market, accused him of causing a N15 million loss in goods over four years—an unsubstantiated claim never previously reported. With the aid of her relative, Inspector Barnabas, the case was transferred to Tiger Base, described as a “notorious torture facility masquerading as a police unit.”
Japheth was abducted from the Area Command gate after being cleared and subjected to relentless torture. “Inspector Barnabas and his accomplices demanded a confession to a crime he did not commit and pressed his family to pay millions in extortion money. Even after reducing the ‘ransom’ to N4 million, they persisted with sadistic brutality,” the statement continued.
On May 6, 2025, Japheth died, and his body was secretly deposited at the Federal University Teaching Hospital morgue in Owerri. The police allegedly misled his family, pretending he was alive and accepting food meant for him.
RULAAC demanded:
1. Immediate closure and investigation of Tiger Base by the National Human Rights Commission and Police Service Commission.
2. Arrest and prosecution of involved officers, especially Inspector Barnabas, for murder, torture, and abuse of office.
3. Reparations for Japheth Njoku’s family, including an acknowledgment of wrongdoing by the Nigerian Police Force.
4. Independent judicial oversight of all police detention centres in Nigeria.
5. A complete overhaul of Nigeria’s policing system, grounded in human rights, rule of law, and accountability.