Human rights advocacy group, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has instituted four lawsuits against the Imo State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, popularly known as “Tiger Base,” over allegations of torture, enforced disappearances, missing infants, and extrajudicial executions.
The legal actions, filed at the Federal High Court in Owerri, target systemic human rights violations allegedly committed by officers stationed at the infamous facility located in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.
According to court filings signed by RULAAC Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma, the suits seek judicial intervention and financial compensation for victims and their families following prolonged, unchecked abuses by the unit.
The legal filings highlight several specific cases: The case of Miss Nmesoma Chukwunyere, a 21-year-old nursing trainee arrested in Orlu on July 15, 2025, and held without trial at Tiger Base for months under severe torture and coerced confessions.
The death of Japhet Njoku in 2025 and Okechukwu Ogbedagu (who died of asphyxiation in custody), where officers allegedly attempted to conceal custodial fatalities.
Allegations involving female detainees whose infants were forcibly removed from their care while in custody, with no official records or accounting of the children’s whereabouts.
Widespread use of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals within the facility to extort millions of naira from families under duress.
”Tiger Base has operated outside the law for too long, turning a security outfit into a site of extortion and human rights violations,” stated Okechukwu Nwanguma. “These lawsuits aim to end impunity, enforce accountability, and secure justice for victims.”
RULAAC is urging the court to declare Detentions Illegal; Rule the prolonged detentions without trial as unconstitutional under the Nigerian Constitution.
RULAAC petitions the court to direct police authorities to pay substantial damages to affected families and survivors and require the Inspector General of Police to investigate unit commanders and officers linked to torture and extrajudicial killings.
The Imo State Police Command has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the newly filed suits.
