The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAC) has called for the immediate shutdown of the police facility known as Tiger Base in Owerri, Imo State, citing a long-standing record of torture, abuse and unlawful detention confirmed by a regional court judgment.
RULAC Executive Director, Mr. Okechukwu Nwagoma, said recent police denials following a viral video alleging torture and killings at the facility do not erase “well-documented and judicially established abuses” linked to Tiger Base.
“Not every video online is true, and misinformation must be challenged,” Nwagoma said.
“However, rejecting falsehoods does not erase the confirmed history of torture and abuse at Tiger Base.”
He referenced a 2024 judgment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Glory Okoli v. Federal Republic of Nigeria, which found that Tiger Base was used as a lawless detention centre as far back as 2021, before it was taken over by the anti-kidnapping unit.
According to the court, officers of the Intelligence Response Team abducted and detained a student, Glory Okoli, at the facility, where she was held incommunicado, sexually abused, extorted, and denied access to her family and lawyers. “These are not rumours.
They are judicial findings,” Nwagoma stressed.
RULAC said the ruling debunks claims that alleged abuses began only after the anti-kidnapping unit assumed control, describing the problem as “institutional, not unit specific.”
“For years, we have documented unlawful arrests, prolonged detention without trial, torture as an investigative tool, and extortion as a condition for release at Tiger Base,” Nwagoma said, adding that the cases are backed by sworn statements, medical reports and formal petitions.
He criticised a recent guided tour of the facility by selected journalists, describing it as a “public relations exercise” rather than genuine accountability.
“A tour curated by the police cannot substitute for an independent, victim-centred investigation,” he said.
RULAC called for the permanent closure of Tiger Base, an independent probe into all units and commanders who operated there, enforcement of command responsibility, and justice, compensation and rehabilitation for victims.
“The ECOWAS Court has spoken. Victims have spoken.
The facts are clear,” Nwagoma said. “The real question is whether Nigeria is ready to choose accountability over denial.”
