call for disbandment of Imo Police Command’s Tiger Base Unit
……Narrates gory experiences of victims
A cross section of Imo people and human rights groups have called for the immediate disbandment of the Tiger Base Unit of the Imo State Police Command.
It was alleged to have consistently unleashed mayhem on Imo people who are often arrested on trumped up charges, detained for several months without being arraigned in court or granted bail in accordance with the law.
Some of those who spoke to this reporter narrated how their relatives were arrested and detained without allowing their relatives, friends and associates to set eyes on them or have any kind access to them, until they were confirmed dead.
Others who spoke in the same vein said, their relatives who were arrested by the reportedly notorious Tiger Base Unit, have not been seen or heard from again since past one year, raising about whether or not they are alive.
The National President of the Association for Public Policy Analysis, Comrade Princewill Okorie, in a petition he addressed to the Inspection General of Police and copied to the National Human Rights Commission, Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Security, DSS, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, highlighted the case of one Chinonso Eluchie from Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, who was allegedly arrested on September 13, 2025, at the fuel station at Ukwuorji, where he went with his motorcycle to buy fuel. Few days later, he was paraded as one of those who were arrested in a kidnappers hideout. Since September 13, 2025, when he was arrested, neither his wife nor any member of his family has been allowed to see or speak to him. He was also not been charged to court or told the offence for which he was arrested in order to seek legal representation.
“Following Comrade Okorie’s persistent demand for Chinonso’s release, the Commissioner of Police, invited the woman to his office for discussion. But when Ola was summoned, he walked the woman away from the Commissioner’s office. Hence, she has not seen or heard from her husband till date”.
“There is also the case of a woman from Awa, in Oguta L.G.A, whose husband, a car painter was arrested on the allegation of dealing in stolen cars. But when the family could not raise the sum of Two Million Naira, the investigating Police Officer (IPO) demanded at his release, they tagged him a kidnapper and terrorist. The operative of the Tiger Base Unit have not also offered his wife or any member of his family to see or speak to him since he was arrested since October”.
Rule of Law and Accountability Centre, a formidable human rights group, in a release issued in response to the press statement by the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Henry Okoye, denying allegations of torture, organ trafficking and extra judicial killings contained in a viral video, said, “The statement issued by the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Henry Okoye, dismissing a viral video alleging torture, organ trafficking, and extrajudicial killings at Tiger Base, deserves careful consideration. It is entirely possible – and indeed likely – that the particular video in circulation is false, exaggerated, or maliciously packaged. Misinformation is a growing challenge, and it is responsible policing for the command to clarify facts, correct distortions, and warn against the weaponisation of falsehoods.
However, what cannot be dismissed – and what the PPRO’s statement conspicuously avoids – is the undeniable, well-documented pattern of egregious human rights violations committed by operatives of Tiger Base over the past three years.
While the Command refutes the allegations in the video, it has not refuted the far more serious allegations consistently reported by victims, families, lawyers, and civil society organisations.”
RULAC, further stated that “the achievements of the Tiger Base Unit as highlighted by the PPRO, do not in any way justify the torture, extortion, enforced disappearance or reported case of extra judicial killings. A Unit can record achievements and still commit atrocities. The two realities are not mutually exclusive.
In fact, the credulity of the police depends on their ability to enforce the law without breaking it”.
“for years, RULAC and other observers have documented “For years, RULAAC and other observers have documented consistent abuses at Tiger Base: unlawful arrests over civil disputes, denial of access to lawyers and families, detention without trial, torture used as investigation, extortion as a condition for release, and in some cases, suspicious deaths and disappearances. These are not rumours – they are cases backed by petitions, sworn statements, medical reports, and repeated appeals for intervention.
Notable cases include:
- Izuchukwu Madueke, arrested in 2023 over a civil business disagreement, detained in violation of Section 32 of the Police Act, and released only after extortion.
- Two young men arrested “in error” at an ATM, tortured despite acknowledgement of wrongful arrest, and released only after paying money.
- Other victims whose identities are withheld for safety, who have narrated harrowing experiences of beatings, starvation, denial of bail, and threats of death.
These are not isolated events; they are signatures of a unit operating with no functional oversight, no adherence to the Police Act 2020, and no respect for the Anti-Torture Act 2017.
A Warning About Cybercrime Must Be Matched by Warnings Against Torture*
The PPRO warns that circulating false information to incite fear violates the Cybercrime Act 2015. That is correct. But it is even more crucial – and more consistent with constitutional policing – to warn and prosecute officers who:
- torture citizens (prohibited under the Anti-Torture Act),
- detain individuals secretly (prohibited under the Constitution),
- extort detainees (a criminal offence under the Criminal Code and ICPC Act),
- refuse access to lawyers or families (violates Sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution),
- or engage in practices that amount to enforced disappearance.
It is worrying that the police are quick to threaten citizens for “false information” but slow
A Human Rights Desk Is Not an Accountability Mechanism
The establishment of a Human Rights or unwilling to publicly acknowledge and address allegations supported by credible testimonies.
Desk within Tiger Base is a welcome step – but insufficient.
A desk inside the same unit accused of abuses risks being symbolic rather than effective. Oversight must be independent, not internal. Only the Police Service Commission, the Complaints Response Unit (CRU), and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) can credibly carry out that role.
Refuting a Video Is Not a Reform Strategy
The police command is right to challenge falsehoods. But addressing misinformation without addressing the real, systemic violations that created the distrust in the first place is inadequate. The police cannot rebuild public confidence through press statements alone. Trust is earned through accountability, transparency, and structural reform.
The concerns about Tiger Base will not disappear because a video was proven false. They will disappear only when the unit stops operating like an untouchable enclave and starts operating like a law enforcement agency bound by law.
Accountability Is the Path to Credibility
If the Imo State Police Command wants the public to stop believing the worst about Tiger Base, the solution is simple: Stop giving the public reasons to believe the worst.
Until officers who torture, extort, or unlawfully detain citizens are exposed, prosecuted, and removed from service, no amount of refuting “false videos” will erase the lived reality of victims.
Imo people want security – but not at the cost of their rights, dignity, or lives.
Security achieved through brutality is not peace; it is oppression”.
