Amnesty International has accused a police unit in Imo State, South-East Nigeria of committing serious human rights violations including torture, extrajudicial killings and extortion.
The unit, popularly known as “Tiger Base,” was originally established to combat kidnapping and armed robbery but, according to a report released on Wednesday, has allegedly become a hub of unchecked police brutality in Owerri the state capital.
The report, “Tiger Base of Atrocities,” detailed that detainees were often held in overcrowded, inhumane conditions, coerced into confessions, and in some cases shot or disappeared.
Former detainees recounted being beaten with rods and cables, cut with knives and machetes, and sometimes suspended by ropes, with confessions extracted under duress and used to demand bribes for their release.
According to Amnesty International Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, the facility has deviated from its mandate, turning into a center of unlawful arrests, torture and corruption.
The report also alleged a secret Point of Sale operation, forcing detainees’ relatives to withdraw and transfer money to secure release. Cells reportedly hold over 70 people in 12×12 foot rooms with one overflowing toilets.
Reacting to the report, a civil rights group, Oganihu, urged Governor Hope Uzodimma to act swiftly by investigating and disbanding the Tiger Base. In its petition, the group warned that allowing such practices to continue could provoke public outrage and erode confidence in the state’s institutions.
The state police command refuted the allegations, labeling claims that the unit “is a slaughterhouse” as unfounded and deliberately misleading.
Spokesperson Henry Okoye emphasized that no credible evidence exists to support accusations of torture, organ harvesting or extrajudicial killings and criticized the viral social media coverage as irresponsible.
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