A new investigation by global human rights body, the Amnesty International has raised serious concerns over alleged abuses at the Nigerian police facility in Imo State, known as Tiger Base, accusing policemen of exploiting legal processes to detain suspects indefinitely and impose unlawful bail conditions.
According to the report shared by the organisation on its official X handle, “Tiger Base officials routinely exploit a prototype ex parte remand order issued by magistrates’ courts.”
The organisation explained that this legal instrument, which is meant to authorise temporary detention, is allegedly being manipulated to prolong custody beyond lawful limits.
The report states that the order “typically authorises an initial seven-day detention but is drafted to automatically extend for another seven days, then twenty-one days, and indefinitely thereafter.”
Amnesty International argued that such provisions create a loophole that enables prolonged detention without due process.
It further noted that “this mechanism enables Tiger Base officials to unlawfully detain suspects under the guise of ongoing investigation and to impose extortionate bail conditions,” raising concerns about violations of fundamental human rights, including the right to liberty and fair hearing.
Amnesty International’s findings indicate that the use of these remand orders is widespread in cases handled at the facility.
“Amnesty International’s investigation confirms that most cases of arbitrary detention at Tiger Base involve the ex parte remand order that effectively permits indefinite detention,” the report said.
The organisation also cited a specific case to illustrate the pattern. “For example, in a recent case, a young man was detained; when his relatives sought his release after 24 hours, a magistrate issued an order extending his detention for another 21 days,” it revealed.
Human rights advocates say the findings highlight systemic issues within the criminal justice process, particularly the role of magistrates’ courts in granting remand orders without sufficient safeguards.
Amnesty International has called for urgent reforms to prevent abuse of the remand system, urging authorities to ensure that detention practices comply with both national laws and international human rights standards.
Earlier, Amnesty International indicted the Tiger Base police unit in Owerri, Imo State, of engaging in torture, unlawful killings, and cover-ups, following investigations into multiple deaths in custody.
In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the global organisation described the facility as notorious for human rights abuses and alleged a pattern of brutality against detainees.
“The Tiger Base police unit Owerri Imo state is notorious for deaths in custody,” Amnesty International said.
The organisation cited a 2022 case involving a young man, Okechukwu Ogbedagu, who was handed over to the police by three youth leaders and later died in detention under controversial circumstances.
“Our investigation reveals that in 2022, three youth leaders handed over a suspect to the Tiger Base unit. About three months later, the suspect, a young man, Okechukwu Ogbedagu, died in detention,” the statement read.
According to Amnesty, an autopsy report it reviewed revealed severe injuries to the victim’s neck, including broken bones, bleeding and trauma consistent with intense force.
“These injuries indicate that the neck was forcibly compressed and violently bent or twisted. Such actions would have blocked breathing and blood flow to the brain, leading to suffocation,” the organisation said.
It added that the findings strongly suggest the deceased may have been tortured while in custody.
