Police to investigate Owerri's “Tiger Base” unit over torture allegations

A recent Amnesty International report on a police unit in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, has drawn attention to serious allegations of human rights abuses. The report, titled “Tiger Base of Atrocities: Human Rights Violations by Nigeria Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Owerri,” claims that detainees are held in filthy, windowless cells and subjected to regular beatings. It also alleges that many suspects are kept for weeks or months without charge, while others have been shot or forcibly disappeared. According to the document, a unit created to combat kidnapping and armed robbery has instead been unlawfully killing suspects, torturing detainees to force confessions of fabricated crimes, and arresting people solely to extract bribes for their release.

We are surprised by the lack of response to the report. Torture is a violation of human rights, and the country must not appear to be condoning such conduct. Section 34(1) of the 1999 constitution states: “Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, (a) no person shall be subjected to torture, or to inhuman or degrading treatment.” Yet many Nigerians have experienced some form of torture at the hands of the police. Rather than deny the allegations, Nigerian authorities should focus on ensuring that law‑enforcement officers perform their duties without resorting to torture.

A United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, once visited Nigeria at the invitation of the federal government. In his report to the UN Human Rights Council, Nowak wrote: “On the basis of an analysis of the legal system, visits to detention facilities, interviews with detainees, the support of forensic medical evidence, and interviews with government officials, lawyers and representatives of NGOs, the Special Rapporteur concluded that torture and ill‑treatment is widespread in police custody, and particularly systemic in the Central Criminal Investigation Department.” He added that his findings were not new, noting that many credible human‑rights organisations and UN mechanisms have documented widespread torture and unacceptable detention conditions in Nigeria.

It is important to recognise that most police personnel do not torture suspects out of a desire to inflict pain; they do so because it is the easiest way to obtain evidence for prosecutions. Poor training and inadequate equipment mean that many officers rely on forced confessions. To stop police torture, their capacity to investigate crimes must be strengthened.

Given the gravity of the situation, Amnesty International Nigeria Country Director Isa Sanusi has called for “an independent, impartial and effective investigation of the atrocities committed by Tiger Base unit police officers in Owerri” to examine the conduct of the commander and other officers, and their involvement in human‑rights violations, corruption and other misconduct.

We urge Inspector General of Police Tunji Disu to investigate the Amnesty report on the “Tiger Base” Police Unit in Owerri and take corrective action. Beyond that, a new approach to crime investigation—one that does not rely on confessions extracted under extreme torture—must be adopted. Nigeria is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture. The time has come for the country to live up to these commitments.