A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting as a coroner in Owerri, Imo State, has indicted officers of the Nigeria Police Force over the death of 32-year-old Japhet Njoku, who died in police custody at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, popularly known as Tiger Base, in May 2025.
The court, presided over by Chief Magistrate E. U. Chinaka, specifically recommended the prosecution of Inspector Barnabas and the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, CSP Olademeji, for alleged extortion and corruption, which the court found contributed to Njoku’s prolonged detention and eventual death.
The inquest was instituted following an application by members of Njoku’s family seeking to establish the circumstances surrounding his “sudden, violent and unnatural death” while in the custody of the Imo State Police Command at Tiger Base on or about May 5, 2025.
According to the court, evidence presented during the proceedings showed that Njoku was arrested on March 29, 2025, over an allegation of stealing goods at Alaba Market and was detained for about six weeks without being charged to court or admitted to bail.
The court found that the alleged offence was bailable and that Inspector Barnabas demanded N500,000 as police bail, while another N300,000 was allegedly demanded for the complainant, Ugomore Oluchi Obiagwu.
The court held that the alleged demand for money contributed to Njoku’s prolonged detention.
“The deceased was detained for a long period of time by Inspector Barnabas and his team at Anti-Kidnapping Unit, which contravened the stipulated period of time within which a defendant was supposed to stay pending investigation,” the court stated.
The court further found that, “The offence for which the deceased was arrested was stealing, which is a bailable offence.”
