A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting as a coroner in Owerri has indicted officers of the Nigeria Police Force over the death of 32-year-old Japhet Njoku, who died in custody at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, popularly known as Tiger Base, in May 2025.
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The court, presided over by Chief Magistrate E. U. Chinaka, recommended the prosecution of Inspector Barnabas and the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, CSP Olademeji, for extortion and corruption, which it found contributed to the prolonged detention and eventual death of the deceased.
The inquest was instituted following an application by members of Njoku’s family seeking to establish the circumstances surrounding his “sudden, violent and unnatural death” while in the custody of the Imo State Police Command on or about 5 May 2025.
The court found that Njoku was arrested on 29 March 2025 over an allegation of stealing goods at Alaba Market, and was detained for about six weeks without being charged to court or admitted to bail.
“The offence for which the deceased was arrested was stealing which is a bailable offence,” the court held.
It found that Inspector Barnabas demanded N500,000 as police bail, and that a further N300,000 was demanded for the complainant, named in the proceedings as Ugomore Oluchi Obiagwu.
The court held that the demand for money was the reason the deceased remained in detention.
“The deceased was detained for a long period of time by Inspector Barnabas and his team at Anti Kidnapping Unit which contravened the stipulated period of time within which a defendant was supposed to stay pending investigation,” it stated.
“The said Inspector Barnabas demanded for bail sum which the deceased and his family could not afford. This was the exact reason why he was kept in detention for 6 weeks.”
Njoku’s brother, Mr. Uchechukwu Njoku, told the court that the family was prevented from gaining access to the deceased for a prolonged period.
He testified that his brother had complained about the condition of the cell, including a foul-smelling toilet and overcrowding which forced detainees to remain standing for extended periods.
He also told the court that the deceased had a wound on the left side of his head, and that he had not suffered from any known ailment before his detention.
Inspector Barnabas, who testified as a prosecution witness, acknowledged that Njoku had been detained for about six weeks.
He told the court that bail was not granted because the deceased had been identified as a terrorist by CSP Olademeji during a routine cell check, and had confessed to being a terrorist.
The court found that Barnabas failed to produce the alleged confession, and that he admitted it had not been recorded in accordance with section 18(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Barnabas denied demanding money for bail, insisting that police bail was free.
The court rejected the explanation in unusually direct terms, describing the terrorism claim as a fabrication.
“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,” it ruled.
Another witness, Mr. Basil Ekenyere, told the court that the cell was extremely overcrowded, with more than 45 suspects kept in a space measuring about three or four ceiling lengths.
He said the conditions were so unbearable that two or three detainees died on some days.
Ekenyere further testified that he himself paid N300,000 to settle the complainant in his own case and N650,000 as police bail before he was released.
The court condemned the conditions at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, finding that officers there subjected detainees to torture, intimidation and extortion.
“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.
It found that the officers had shown disregard for constitutional protections relating to human dignity, the right to life, personal liberty, access to counsel and the right to bail.
It also found that the overcrowding was directly connected to the refusal to release suspects because of extortion.
“The crowded cell was as a result of refusal to grant/admit suspects to bail due to extortion by men in police uniform,” the court said.
On the death itself, the court linked Njoku’s deteriorating health to the conditions and the length of his detention.
“The inhuman condition which the officers kept the deceased broke him and led to his deteriorated health condition that eventually caused his death,” it ruled.
“It was the act of prolonged detention that caused the untimely death of the deceased.”
The autopsy report tendered before the court listed the cause of death as meningitis, bronchial pneumonia and hypertensive heart disease. The medical pathologist did not testify during the inquest.
In its recommendations, the court ordered the Imo State Ministry of Justice to prosecute Inspector Barnabas and CSP Olademeji for extortion and corruption.
“There is need to prosecute Inspector Barnabas, O/C Olademeji CSP for extortion and corruption which caused them to deny bail to the deceased,” it stated, directing the Ministry to file charges against the two officers before a court of competent jurisdiction “to serve as a deterrent to other officers.”
The court also recommended the immediate transfer of all officers serving under the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, citing overcrowding and the extortion of money from suspects as police bail, and directed the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, to ensure compliance.
It further recommended the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in all police detention facilities and the creation of a special unit to monitor their functionality, and ordered adequate orientation for police investigators on the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Police Act regarding the detention of suspects.
The court directed the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to fully sponsor Njoku’s burial, and ordered the payment of adequate compensation to his family by the Imo State Police Command for his unlawful detention and the deterioration of his health in custody, again directing the Inspector-General and the State Commissioner of Police to ensure compliance.
The authorities were given three months to implement the recommendations.
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