By Okechukwu Nwanguma
(Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre — RULAAC)
October 31, 2025
Imo State’s notorious Anti-Kidnapping Unit, popularly known as Tiger Base, has once again made the headlines – not for rescuing victims or solving crimes, but for torture and extrajudicial killing. The gruesome death of Mr. Magnus Ejiogu, following weeks of incommunicado detention, mirrors the earlier killing of Mr. Japhet Njoku, another young man tortured to death in the same Tiger Base facility just months earlier.
Both deaths expose a horrifying truth: Tiger Base has become a slaughterhouse operating under the Nigerian Police Force, shielded by silence, complicity, and a lack of accountability.
The Njoku Case: Defiance and Cover-Up
Mr. Japhet Njoku, aged 32, died in Tiger Base custody on or about May 5, 2025, following weeks of unlawful detention and torture over a fabricated petition. Despite clear orders from the Coroner’s Court in Owerri and directives from the Commissioner of Police, the same Tiger Base officers have repeatedly defied the law, obstructing the court-ordered autopsy, intimidating witnesses, and fabricating charges against complainants and sympathizers.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) and the People’s Rights Organization (PRO) have jointly petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC), demanding the suspension, investigation, and prosecution of the officers involved – led by Inspector Barnabas and CSP Oladimeji, the Officer-in-Charge of Tiger Base.
Despite the gravity of the allegations, the implicated officers remain in active service, emboldened by impunity and the system’s failure to act.
The Ejiogu Case: Another Life Snuffed Out
Barely months after Njoku’s killing, tragedy struck again. The family of Mr. Magnus Ejiogu, from Obudi Agwa community in Oguta LGA, reported that he was arrested on September 23, 2025, and held incommunicado at Tiger Base until they learnt, on October 27, that he had died in custody.
According to family accounts and documents from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Ejiogu was tortured to death under the watch of ACP Ola, the squad’s head. The Commission had earlier written to the Inspector-General of Police, alerting him to the torture and unlawful detention, and calling for Ejiogu’s release. The letter went unheeded.
Instead, the same officers continued to deny access to lawyers and family members. Even after the IGP reportedly approved the transfer of the case to Abuja, Tiger Base operatives obstructed the process and falsely claimed they had “completed investigations” – a crude cover-up attempt.
A Culture of Impunity
Both cases underscore a culture of impunity deeply entrenched within Tiger Base, where officers act as law unto themselves, torturing suspects for extortion, ignoring court orders, and intimidating families who seek justice.
This unit, originally established to combat kidnapping, now functions outside the law – operating secret detention facilities, extorting detainees, and killing citizens with reckless abandon.
Even worse, internal accountability systems – from the Imo State Police Command to the Force Headquarters – have failed to rein in their excesses. The refusal of Tiger Base officers to obey direct orders from the Commissioner of Police and the Coroner’s Court amounts to mutiny and gross insubordination, yet no disciplinary action has been taken.
Where Are the Oversight Institutions?
The Police Service Commission, National Human Rights Commission, and Police Complaints Response Unit (CRU) have all received petitions, yet there has been no visible enforcement or follow-up.
If officers can defy lawful orders, obstruct court processes, and kill detainees without consequence, then what remains of police discipline and civilian oversight?
Every new victim – from Japhet Njoku to Magnus Ejiogu – is a damning indictment of the failure of Nigeria’s policing system to protect life, uphold due process, or hold its own officers accountable.
Enough Is Enough
How many more lives will be lost before the authorities act? How many more petitions, protests, and press statements must be issued before the PSC, the IGP, and the federal government dismantle this criminal enterprise masquerading as a police unit?
The PSC must act decisively – suspend the implicated officers, order an independent investigation, enforce the Coroner’s directives, and protect witnesses and families from harassment. Anything short of this would make the Commission complicit in the continuing atrocities.
Nigerians deserve a police force that protects, not preys upon, its people. The persistence of Tiger Base’s lawlessness mocks the memory of its victims and erodes public trust in law enforcement.
The time for excuses is over.
The lives of Japhet Njoku and Magnus Ejiogu must not be in vain.
