The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has welcomed the findings of the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Owerri, sitting as a Coroner, into the death of 32-year-old Japheth Njoku while in police custody at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, popularly known as Tiger Base.
RULAAC, in a statement issued on Wednesday, October 8, 2026, by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, also called for the prosecution of officers indicted by the Coroner, compensation for Njoku’s family and an independent investigation into the operations of the police unit.
The organisation said the Coroner, Chief Magistrate E. U. Chinaka, found that Njoku had been detained for about six weeks over an allegation of stealing, which it described as a bailable offence.
According to RULAAC, the Coroner further found that demands for money contributed to Njoku’s continued detention and rejected attempts to justify his prolonged detention by portraying him as a terrorist.
The organisation said the court found that the conditions at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit violated detainees’ rights to dignity, personal liberty, legal representation and bail, while describing evidence before it as indicating a pattern of torture, intimidation and extortion.
RULAAC said the Coroner also found that Njoku’s prolonged detention and the conditions under which he was held contributed to the deterioration of his health and eventual death.
Among the recommendations made by the Coroner, according to RULAAC, were the prosecution of Inspector Barnabas and ACP Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa over alleged extortion and corruption, the transfer of officers serving at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, installation and effective monitoring of CCTV cameras in police detention facilities, improved training for investigating police officers, compensation for Njoku’s family and payment of his burial expenses by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
The recommendations are expected to be implemented within three months.
RULAAC also expressed concern over what it described as reported attempts to delay the autopsy and frustrate the coroner’s proceedings.
It recalled that on June 11, 2025, the Coroner ordered an autopsy to be conducted between June 16 and June 28 under the supervision of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Imo State Ministry of Justice, with an independent pathologist selected by Njoku’s family allowed to observe the examination.
The organisation alleged that the autopsy was repeatedly delayed and that police officers summoned to the proceedings failed to appear.
RULAAC further said it and the People’s Rights Organisation had petitioned the Police Service Commission over alleged failure by police officers to make Njoku’s body available for scheduled autopsies.
It added that Amnesty International, in its 2026 report on Tiger Base, had also reported alleged obstruction of the court-ordered autopsy and the failure of Tiger Base officials to appear for the examination on three occasions.
The organisation also raised concerns about alleged harassment and intimidation of persons who had been detained alongside Njoku and were considered potential witnesses in the inquest.
RULAAC said the alleged obstruction of a judicially ordered autopsy and intimidation of witnesses required separate investigation, arguing that such conduct, if established, would undermine the administration of justice.
RULAAC urged the Attorney-General of Imo State to act on the Coroner’s recommendation for prosecution, while calling for a review of the entire evidence from the inquest to determine whether additional offences may have been committed under the Anti-Torture Act 2017 and other applicable laws.
It also called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Service Commission to conduct an independent investigation into the alleged attempts to frustrate the autopsy and inquest.
The organisation urged the Police Service Commission to institute disciplinary proceedings against any officer found to have engaged in misconduct.
RULAAC further called for an independent institutional audit of Tiger Base, covering deaths in custody, alleged disappearances, compliance with statutory detention limits, allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, demands for money for bail and release, access to lawyers and medical care, custody records and CCTV footage, as well as previous complaints against officers of the unit.
The group said the findings of the inquest should not be treated solely as a matter involving individual officers, given the broader allegations that have previously been made concerning the operation of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
RULAAC urged the Attorney-General of Imo State, Inspector-General of Police, Police Service Commission and Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, to publicly disclose the steps being taken to implement the Coroner’s recommendations within the stipulated three-month period.
The organisation said justice for Njoku’s family would require prosecution where criminal responsibility is established, disciplinary accountability, compensation and implementation of the institutional reforms recommended by the Coroner.
