A human rights lawyer and former Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri Branch, Chinedu Agu, has alleged widespread torture, illegal detention, extortion, and abuse of judicial process at the Imo State Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit, popularly known as Tigerbase.
Agu made the allegations while speaking at the public presentation of “The Tiger Base Files,” a report by the Coalition Against Police Tigerbase Impunity (CAPTI), held at Social Action, Yalinga Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Speaking before journalists, civil society leaders, and members of the legal profession, Agu said he was not only addressing the issue as a lawyer and human rights activist, but also as a victim and survivor of police impunity.
“I speak from lived experience. What I say today is not conjecture; it is testimony,” he declared.
The lawyer recounted his arrest in September 2025, his detention beyond the constitutionally prescribed period, and his subsequent remand in prison custody for 28 days by a Magistrate Court in Owerri, despite not being convicted of any offence.
He further disclosed that his bail application before the Federal High Court, Owerri, was refused on the ground that there was no pending charge before the court upon which bail could be granted.
“At no point was I convicted. At no point was I found guilty. Yet, I lost my liberty,” Agu said.
According to him, his detention exposed him to what he described as “the grim realities” of detention practices at Tigerbase, particularly the routine transfer of detainees to prison custody without arraignment.
Agu alleged that many of the detainees had spent prolonged periods in police custody without formal charges, and that freedom had effectively been monetised.
“Those who could not afford millions of naira allegedly demanded for their release were sent to prison. Liberty had become a commodity,” he said.
He further alleged that detainees were subjected to severe torture, including beatings, suspension, mock executions, and crucifixion-style torture, while others were forced to sign confessional statements they did not author.
“These were not isolated stories. They were repeated patterns told with fear and exhaustion,” he added.
To support his claims, Agu quoted a public statement by the Secretary of the NBA Owerri Human Rights Committee, Ikechukwu Godwin Umah, who alleged that the Tigerbase Unit had been deliberately shielded from judicial oversight.
Umah reportedly stated that Chief Magistrates were routinely denied access to inspect Tigerbase cells in violation of Section 36 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Imo State, and that detainees were sometimes moved straight from the unit to prison custody without arraignment.
Agu also cited a land dispute case, Suit No. CC/GB/35/2025, Ugorji v. Ajurunwa, in which he alleged that Tigerbase operatives enforced the interests of a judgment debtor despite an existing court judgment, thereby rendering the court’s decision ineffective.
“When police actions nullify court judgments, the rule of law is no longer threatened; it is suspended,” he warned.
While acknowledging the role of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit in combating rising kidnapping incidents in Imo State, Agu insisted that operational successes could not justify torture, extortion, illegal detention, or contempt for court orders.
“Professional policing and respect for human rights are inseparable obligations,” he said.
He called for a comprehensive and transparent overhaul of the Tigerbase Unit, including the restoration of judicial oversight, strict compliance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, and sanctions for erring officers.
Agu urged stakeholders to ensure that the CAPTI report does not end as a mere press event but becomes a catalyst for accountability.
“When law enforcement operates without restraint, justice becomes accidental and freedom becomes fragile,” he concluded.
