Says, Faults Tiger Base Detention Practices
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A Magistrates’ Court in Owerri, Imo State, has recommended the prosecution of Inspector Barnabas and CSP Oladimeji, the officer in charge of the police Anti-Kidnapping Unit known as Tiger Base, following a coroner’s inquest into the death of Mr Japhet Njoku in police custody.
The court found that Njoku was detained for about six weeks over an allegation of stealing, a bailable offence, because he and his family could not afford the money demanded for his release. It concluded that prolonged detention and the conditions in which he was held caused his health to deteriorate and ultimately led to his death.
Chief Magistrate E. U. Chinaka issued the findings and recommendations on September 30, 2026, in proceedings marked OW/MISC/425/2025.
The inquest was initiated by Mrs Augusta Njoku, Mr Uchechukwu Njoku and Mr Chibuzo Njoku against Inspector Barnabas, the officer in charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Imo State Commissioner of Police and the Attorney-General of Imo State.
Through their lawyer, Dr C. C. Nwadigo, the applicants sought an inquiry into Njoku’s death at Tiger Base on or about May 5, 2025. Their application relied on provisions of the Coroner Law, Cap 29, Laws of Eastern Nigeria, 1963.
The court granted the application and directed the applicants to facilitate an autopsy at a government hospital under the supervision of the Imo State Ministry of Justice. They were also permitted to appoint an independent pathologist to witness the procedure.
Four witnesses subsequently testified before the court. The record states that the parties were absent when the outcome was delivered, although Nwadigo appeared for the applicants. There was no appearance for the defendants at that sitting.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Mark Roger, who investigated the death following a May 15, 2025 petition from a rights organisation, testified that Njoku had been involved in a fight with a cellmate who beat him with a broom kept in the cell.
Roger also said his investigation recovered money contributed by some suspects in the case connected to Njoku’s arrest. He tendered the petition, police clinic report, autopsy report and statements obtained during the investigation.
Njoku’s brother, Uchechukwu, told the court that the deceased was arrested on March 29, 2025, following a complaint about allegedly stolen goods at Alaba Market.
He testified that Inspector Barnabas refused to release his brother on bail or charge him to court, insisting that the family pay ₦500,000 as police bail and another ₦300,000 to the complainant.
According to Uchechukwu, he was prevented from seeing his brother from May 5 until later that month, when he was informed of his death. He also recounted complaints from the deceased about overcrowding, offensive odour from the toilet and conditions that forced detainees to stand for extended periods.
He said Njoku had a wound on the left side of his head and had not been ill before his detention.
Inspector Barnabas, however, denied demanding money for bail and maintained that police bail was free.
He testified that Njoku was detained over allegations of stealing and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace. He said the deceased was not granted bail because CSP Oladimeji identified him as a terrorist during a routine cell inspection.
Barnabas further claimed that Njoku confessed to being a terrorist. The court recorded that he failed to produce the purported confession and admitted that it was not recorded in compliance with Section 18(2) of the ACJA.
Another witness, Basil Ekenyere, testified that Njoku had already spent two weeks in detention before his own arrest.
Ekenyere described a small cell containing more than 45 suspects and alleged that two or three detainees died on each passing day. He also told the court that he paid ₦300,000 to settle the complainant and ₦650,000 as police bail before securing his release.
Although the medical pathologist did not testify, the court recorded that the autopsy report listed meningitis, bronchial pneumonia and hypertensive heart disease as the causes of death.
After considering the evidence and documents, the court found that Njoku’s detention exceeded the stipulated period for holding a suspect pending investigation.
It rejected the explanation that he was denied bail because he was a terrorist, finding instead that the account was fabricated to conceal extortion and prolonged detention.
“The story of the deceased being a terrorist and confessing to same was concocted by Inspector Barnabas and O/C Olademeji to cover their illegitimate business of prolonged detention aimed at extortion and corruption,” the court stated.
The court also found that the demand for unaffordable bail money was the reason Njoku remained in custody for six weeks.
“The Anti Kidnapping Unit have lost total sense of duty as police men and resorted to torture, intimidation and extortion of defendants kept in their custody,” it stated, adding that the treatment of detainees disregarded their rights to dignity, life, liberty, bail and access to counsel.
On the circumstances of Njoku’s death, the court held that overcrowding resulted from the refusal to grant bail and that the conditions of detention contributed to his deteriorating health.
“It was the act of prolonged detention that caused the untimely death of the deceased,” the court concluded.
It recommended that the Imo State Ministry of Justice bring charges against Inspector Barnabas and CSP Oladimeji before a court of competent jurisdiction for extortion and corruption connected to the denial of bail.
The recommendation does not constitute a criminal conviction of either officer.
Beyond prosecution, the court recommended the transfer of all officers serving in the Anti-Kidnapping Unit over overcrowding and the collection of money for bail. It called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Imo State Commissioner of Police to ensure compliance.
The court further recommended the installation of CCTV cameras in all police detention facilities, with a special unit established to monitor their operation, and adequate training for investigating officers on the provisions of the ACJA and Police Act concerning detention.
It also recommended that the Anti-Kidnapping Unit fully fund Njoku’s burial and that the Imo State Police Command pay adequate compensation to his family. No specific compensation amount was stated.
The court prescribed a three-month period for implementing its recommendations.
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