Amnesty International’s publication titled ‘Tiger Base’ of Atrocities: Human Rights Violations by Nigeria Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Owerri’ exposes severe abuses by the “Tiger Base” unit of the Imo State Police Command, based in Owerri.
Originally tasked with combating kidnapping and armed robbery, the unit has devolved into a hub for extrajudicial killings, torture, extortion, and arbitrary detentions.
The report, released on February 24, 2026, draws from victim testimonies, autopsy reviews, and on-site investigations, highlighting how police misuse their authority to settle personal scores like land or family disputes.
Detainees endure horrific conditions in overcrowded, filthy, windowless cells lacking ventilation, leading to health crises and deaths.
Many are held for weeks or months without charges or court appearances, violating Nigeria’s Police Act Section 62, which mandates release within 24 hours for non-capital offenses.
Former inmates describe routine beatings with iron rods, cables, knives, machetes, and whips; some were suspended by ropes, cut, and left to bleed while forced to confess to fabricated crimes.
Extrajudicial executions are rampant, with suspects routinely removed from cells and shot dead, often labeled as escapes or shootouts.
A stark case is Okechukwu Ogbedagu, handed over by youth leaders in 2022, who died of asphyxiation per an autopsy; the leaders were then falsely charged with murder and detained for six months. The report documents at least 200 deaths or disappearances between 2021 and 2025, including enforced separations of children from mothers without records.
Extortion forms a core revenue stream, with police using Point of Sale (POS) devices to demand bribes from families for releases, sometimes in the millions of naira.
Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, condemns this as a symptom of broader police impunity, unlearned from the #EndSARS protests. Families seeking justice face harassment, deepening trauma and silencing victims.
The publication criticizes Nigerian authorities for failing to investigate or hold Tiger Base officers accountable, contravening the Constitution, Anti-Torture Act 2017, and international treaties.
It demands an independent probe into the commander and officers’ roles in these crimes, plus reparations for victims. Amnesty notes the unit’s deviation from its anti-kidnapping mandate has worsened insecurity rather than curbing it.
Prior reports and police denials add context; Imo Police in 2025 called abuse claims “false,” touting the unit’s crime-fighting successes, while outlets like Sahara Reporters echoed early findings of systemic torture.
Yet Amnesty’s 2026 briefing stands as the most comprehensive, urging public revolt against this “slaughterhouse” disguised as law enforcement.
This exposé underscores ongoing governance failures in Imo State, resonant with Nigeria’s human rights struggles.