By Okechukwu Nwanguma
In the heart of Owerri, behind the iron gates of what is infamously known as Tiger Base, justice dies daily. It died most recently and most horrifically with Japheth Njoku, a young security guard who was tortured and killed in cold blood while in police custody, not for any proven crime, but for the sheer cruelty of a system that has weaponised detention, torture, and impunity.
Japheth was not a criminal. He was a 32-year-old newlywed, a dedicated employee at the Alaba Market in Owerri for over a decade, and a first-time father who never got to see his newborn child. His only crime was being poor and powerless in a country where truth is often silenced by torture and where police stations like Tiger Base have become dungeons for extrajudicial punishment, extortion, and death.
In March 2025, Japheth was detained over a minor allegation of cigarette theft — a matter that was eventually settled with the alleged complainant. But before he could breathe the air of freedom, Mrs. Oluchi Obiagwu, a trader at the same market, manufactured a claim that she had lost N15 million worth of goods over the past four years — an accusation that had never been previously reported to the market authorities or police.
With the help of her police relative, Inspector Barnabas, the matter was transferred to Tiger Base, a notorious torture facility masquerading as a police unit. Japheth was abducted from the gate of the Area Command after being cleared, and he was never free again.
What followed was a month-long descent into hell.
Inspector Barnabas and his accomplices at Tiger Base tortured Japheth relentlessly, demanding a confession to a crime he did not commit, and pressing his family to pay millions of naira in extortion money. Even after reducing the “ransom” to N4 million, they persisted with sadistic brutality. Japheth’s brother pleaded, negotiated, and even began to raise funds. Still, it was not enough.
On May 6, 2025, Japheth was dead — his body secretly deposited in the morgue at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri, while the police continued to lie to his family, pretending he was still alive. They even accepted food meant for a dead man.
Let us be clear: Japheth Njoku was murdered in custody.
This was not an accident. It was a calculated killing, enabled by a corrupt police culture, rogue officers, a justice system that looks the other way, and a facility that thrives on fear and silence. Tiger Base, like many other SARS-style outfits that still operate under new names, is a crime scene, not a crime-fighting unit.
The Blood-Stained Legacy of Tiger Base
Tiger Base is not an isolated case. It is a brutal institution in a long line of unconstitutional policing models, descended from the SARS units disbanded during the #EndSARS protests. Though rebranded, these rogue units continue to terrorise citizens under the same logic: you are guilty because we say so, and your innocence will cost you, maybe your life.
The litany of human rights violations at Tiger Base includes arbitrary detention, forced confessions, denial of bail, torture, extortion, and now, cold-blooded murder. Inmates are routinely denied food, beaten, and dehumanised. Some never make it out alive. Others are too broken to speak.
The complicity of the judiciary, particularly magistrates who rubber-stamp illegal detention orders without scrutiny, adds a dangerous layer of legitimacy to this carnage.
What Must Be Done
The People’s Rights Organisation (PRO), on behalf of Japheth’s family, has rightly demanded a Coroner’s Inquest, under Section 3 of the Coroner Law, Cap 29, Laws of Eastern Nigeria applicable in Imo State. This must be the first step toward justice, not just for Japheth, but for every silent victim of Tiger Base.
But we must go further:
- Immediate closure and investigation of Tiger Base by the National Human Rights Commission and Police Service Commission.
- Arrest and prosecution of all police officers involved, especially Inspector Barnabas, for murder, torture, and abuse of office.
- Reparations for the family of Japheth Njoku, including acknowledgement of wrongdoing by the Nigerian Police Force.
- Independent judicial oversight of all police detentioncentress in Nigeria.
- A complete overhaul of Nigeria’s policing system, grounded in human rights, the rule of law, and accountability.
Never Again
How many more must die before Nigeria says, “Enough”? How many more fathers, brothers, and sons must vanish into the black hole of Tiger Base? How long will the state condone a system that turns law enforcement into a tool of vengeance and profit?
The life of Japheth Njoku mattered. His death must not be swept under the rug of bureaucracy and silence. He is one death too many. If Nigeria has any conscience left, Tiger Base must fall — and those who killed Japheth must be held to account.
Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma is a human rights activist in Nigeria and Executive Director of RULAAC.
