Nigerians demand probe of Imo ‘Tiger Base’ over torture allegations

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Nigerians have called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, and human rights organisations to probe allegations of unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings, and torture against the anti-kidnapping unit of the Imo State Police Command, popularly known as the Tiger Base Unit.

The calls emerged amid demands for justice by the family of a businessman, Levi Opara, who reportedly died under suspicious circumstances while in the custody of the unit.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the 46-year-old father of five, who hailed from Emekuku in the Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, was arrested on October 15, 2023, following a “domestic misunderstanding” between him and his wife.

The deceased’s family alleged that despite their efforts to secure his release, he was found dead on October 18, 2023, with conflicting accounts of his final moments.

The Opara family claimed that Levi was tortured and stabbed in the neck by officers identified simply as Moses and Blessing.

Following a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, all those allegedly involved in the murder were arrested.

Family members also alleged that, although the matter was transferred to Zone 9, Umuahia, Abia State, last year, the arraignment of the officers believed to be involved has since been delayed.

However, the incident triggered fresh outrage on Friday after a journalist and activist, Chinonso Uba, popularly known as Nonsonkwa, recounted the family’s ordeal.

In a video posted on X that went viral, Nonsonkwa called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the officers involved in Levi’s death.

One of Opara’s twin daughters, in the video, recounted that “one policeman, Moses, told us that our father would not be released. He said no amount of money or connection would save him. We begged him and told him it was a family problem between our parents, but he refused.”

She further disclosed that officers repeatedly asked them to return on different days, assuring them that Opara was simply “sleeping” or unavailable for visitation.

“On Tuesday, we went back, and they told us he was in a deep sleep. When we insisted, they still refused to allow us near him.

“The next day, when we returned with our aunt, my mother, and other relatives, they told us he reported sick around 6 am and died on the way to the police clinic,” she said.

According to the family, police officers initially insisted that Opara died of an illness after being moved to their clinic.

However, the family resisted police attempts to conduct an autopsy without their consent and insisted on bringing their own medical expert.

“Officer Blessing told us that it was a police case and that they would be the ones to carry out the autopsy,” a family member said. “We refused. We told them the family would decide that.”

A joint autopsy conducted by both the police-appointed doctor and the family’s independent pathologist reportedly revealed that Levi had been stabbed in the neck, contradicting the police explanation.

The family also expressed shock when they said they saw his remains already embalmed at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, without their prior authorisation.

“We asked to see his body, and when we got to FMC, they had already embalmed him. It was clear they were hiding something.”

Relatives insist Opara was not involved in any criminal activity and was wrongfully detained in a unit known for harsh interrogations and allegations of extrajudicial abuses.

“This was a civil, family matter between husband and wife,” a cousin said. “There was no criminal petition. So why was he taken to Tiger Base — a place meant for hardened criminals or kidnap suspects? This is one more example of unchecked brutality by some units of the police,” Nonsonkwa said.

Expressing outrage over the incident, a trader, Uchenna Ogbu, described the actions of the officers of the anti-kidnapping unit toward Opara and other victims as “barbaric, repulsive, and completely unacceptable.”

He added, “Tiger Base has become a name people fear, not because it protects the innocent, but because of the gruesome, despicable, and lawless brutality constantly linked to it.

“No Nigerian deserves to be abducted, tortured, or secretly buried by those sworn to protect us. We demand immediate investigation, accountability, and justice. We need a total overhaul of rogue police units. Nigeria cannot be a country where citizens disappear into police custody and return in shallow graves. Enough is enough!”

Also speaking, Chibuenyi accused the police of unlawfully detaining Imo residents in the Tiger Base Unit under the pretext of arresting secessionist groups such as the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Eastern Security Network.

“A lot of people who went missing in Imo State were not actually kidnapped but taken into custody by Tiger Base, and many have yet to make contact with friends and family. There’s no whitewashing this atrocity. This is not the time to pivot and look for non-existent scapegoats.

“This is not an IPOB agenda because well-meaning citizens are demanding accountability. Many who were taken into custody were unarmed, yet they were tagged as ESN or IPOB members. What are their crimes? Where are their lawyers? Have they been tried in court? Is this how justice works in Nigeria?” he queried.

Another resident, Kachi Ezike, said, “I believe it is high time for the Inspector-General of Police to establish a special task force to investigate the recent allegations of abuse and maltreatment by some officers at the Tiger Base in Owerri, Imo State. If found culpable, the officers involved should be dismissed and prosecuted according to the law.”

A father of two, Chimezie Okoli, decried the alleged killings, kidnappings, and extortion by some officers from the Tiger Base Unit and lamented that many of those arrested were not guilty of the crimes attributed to them.

“These people have killed so many young people and stamped the IPOB label on their bodies. They will abduct and kill people, and the blame will be shifted to IPOB. This is the danger of the propaganda some of us help to spread.

“Every crime becomes ‘IPOB,’ and innocent victims are labeled IPOB members, while the real criminals move freely because we’ve given them the perfect cover,” Okoli noted.

In July, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism reported the eight-month-long continued detention of a 43-year-old businessman named Obinna Orji.

The FIJ also accused the Chief Superintendent of Police and Officer-in-Charge of Tiger Base, Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa, of having a long history of human rights abuse allegations levied against him.

Similarly, in June, a non-governmental organisation, the Rule of Law and Accountability Centre, petitioned Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the “enforced disappearance and alleged extrajudicial killing of an Imo resident, Mr Johnbosco Onuocha.”

In the petition, contained in an open letter by the Centre’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, in Owerri, Onuocha was said to have been approached by men posing as customers, who suddenly handcuffed him and whisked him away on May 31, 2025.

Responding to the allegations made in the latest video by Nonsonkwa, the Imo State Police Command said it was dismayed by the viral social media publication.

“The Command categorically refutes these claims as false, unfounded, and intended to mislead the public. The Anti-Kidnapping Unit (Tiger Base) is a legitimate tactical formation of the Nigeria Police Force mandated to combat kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, and other violent crimes.

“It is not an illegal detention facility or a slaughterhouse, and all suspects are handled in line with the law. The Unit has successfully dismantled several notorious kidnapping and armed robbery syndicates, contributing to the improved peace and security that Imolites enjoy today.

“There is no credible evidence supporting the allegations of torture, organ harvesting, or extrajudicial killings. These narratives are considered part of a smear campaign by criminal elements affected by ongoing security operations. The attempt to introduce ethnic sentiment into routine policing activities by targeting the Officer-in-Charge is condemned,” the state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said.

Okoye clarified that the Tiger Base Unit operates in synergy with other security agencies and community policing structures, ensuring accountability and transparency.

“To strengthen oversight of the unit, the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, has directed the immediate establishment of a Human Rights Desk within the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to ensure transparency and safeguard the rights of all persons handled by the unit.

“The Commissioner of Police urges Imolites to disregard the false claims and direct genuine complaints to the Complaints Response Unit (CRU), X-Squad, or the Human Rights Desk domiciled at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit. Individuals circulating false information to incite fear or undermine security efforts are warned to desist, as such acts violate the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.”

He added that all criminal elements disturbing the peace in the state would be stamped out and advised people to forward “genuine complaints” to a WhatsApp number.

“The Command will not relent until crime and criminality are brought to near zero. The Command is open to constructive engagements aimed at improving service delivery to Imolites, but will refute and stand against criminal apologists.

“For the record: the Imo State Police Command is always open to meaningful and constructive engagements by members of the public aimed at improving our service delivery to our good Imolites. That said, the command will not be distracted from its unwavering commitment to stamping out crime and criminality within the state,” Okoye said.

Meanwhile, the Editor-in-Chief of FIJ, Fisayo Soyombo, in a series of tweets seen by Saturday PUNCH, on Friday, asked the police command to issue another statement to explain to the public what they do “with detainees who are unable to afford N10 million after rotting in your cells for several months.”

“Free advice: just seven months ago, 35 CSOs wrote a petition to the Senate President asking for Tiger Base to be investigated. If you’re really concerned about the ‘genuine complaints,’ that’s a great place to start. Contact the office of the Senate President; contact the 35 CSOs.

“Let it be clear: any investigation of Tiger Base by PoliceNG CRU that does not begin with the notorious CSP Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa is a spectacular waste of everyone’s time. Here is a CSP who is more powerful than the CP, a CSP who openly boasts of his ‘friendship with the governor.’

“That claim has also been repeated by third parties. An agency once sought CSP Ola’s audience over a case of illegal detention by Tiger Base, only for the agency to tell FIJ: ‘Odeyeyiwa said he is so busy with the governor.’ The next phase of that investigation should then include Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo State.

“Nigerians would like to know: what service exactly does ‘CSP Ola’ render to the governor to have become this powerful, to the extent that police insiders describe the CP as the CSP’s puppet? It would be nice to know,” Soyombo wrote.

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