Amnesty International has stated that it is “deeply alarmed” by “credible reports” of alleged inhuman treatment and concealment of detention conditions in Imo State, Nigeria, involving individuals detained at the Tiger Base Police Unit.

In an online post seen by CITY LAWYER, the human rights group urged the Federal Government “to urgently investigate these reports, publicly clarify the circumstances surrounding the handling of detainees during the inspection period, ensure independent human rights monitors have unrestricted access to all detention facilities in Imo State, and guarantee protection for detainees from intimidation or retaliation.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that a human rights activist and lawyer, Mr. Chinedu Agu had raised an alarm on the alleged concealment of detention conditions.

In a statement made available to CITY LAWYER, Agu wrote: “Yesterday, numerous Tigerbase detainees were brought out of Tigerbase cells and assembled at the pavilion inside the Hon. Justice P.C. Onumajulu Square which is within the Magistrate Court Premises, Owerri.

“They were kept there from as early as 7:00 AM until about 6:30 PM, without food, without water, and without any regard for their basic humanity. This was not done for their welfare, for any lawful purpose or for arraignment. It was rather done because it was alleged that a certain team from Abuja [some said from the IGP] was scheduled to inspect the Tigerbase detention facilities yesterday and today.

“Today, the same degrading process was repeated. This is a calculated pattern and a well-rehearsed charade.

“Credible accounts from detainees of the Owerri Correctional Centre, including seven women who I am presently representing in court, reveal that this practice has been ongoing for years.

“These women, victims of what can only be described as sustained Tigerbase victimisation, have attested that throughout their period of detention in Tigerbase facilities [October 2023 – 16 December 2025], they witnessed this same routine unfold repeatedly, often on a monthly basis.

“Whenever inspection teams, including those from the National Human Rights Commission and other oversight bodies, were expected, detainees would be hurriedly evacuated, hidden away, and displaced to create a false impression of order, compliance, and humane conditions. Once the inspectors departed, the detainees would be returned to the very conditions that had been deliberately concealed.

“This is institutional deception of the highest order! It is a direct assault on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly the guaranteed right to dignity of the human person. It is a violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. It runs contrary to every known standard of humane detention, including the globally recognized principles under the Nelson Mandela Rules.

“To hold human beings for over eleven hours without food or water, purely to manipulate the outcome of an inspection is inhuman, degrading, and unconscionable. It is psychological torture. It is a calculated abuse of power designed to evade accountability.

“Even more troubling is the implication that official inspections, which are meant to safeguard rights and ensure compliance, are being actively undermined and rendered meaningless by those entrusted with enforcing the law.

“A system that relocates detainees to deceive inspectors is a system that is consciously hiding abuse. A system that prioritizes appearances over human life has lost all moral and legal legitimacy. This must trigger immediate outrage and decisive action.”

Below is the full text of the statement by Amnesty International.

Amnesty International is deeply alarmed by credible reports of inhuman treatment and possible concealment of detention conditions in Imo State, Nigeria, involving individuals detained at the Tiger Base Police Unit.

The Nigerian authorities to urgently investigate these reports, publicly clarify the circumstances surrounding the handling of detainees during the inspection period, ensure independent human rights monitors have unrestricted access to all detention facilities in Imo State, and guarantee protection for detainees from intimidation or retaliation.

According to reports from Owerri, detainees were moved from the Tiger Base facility and kept at court premises from approximately 7:00am to 5:30pm on 16 and 17 April 2026, to prevent their exposure during an unscheduled inspection visit.

The Nigeria Police Force has stated that the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), DIG Margaret Ochalla, conducted an unscheduled working visit to the Imo State Police Command on 16 April 2026, during which the Tiger Base detention facility was inspected.

These reports raise grave concerns about attempts to obstruct oversight and conceal the true conditions of detention at Tiger Base.

These actions amount to violations of Nigeria’s Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), which prohibit cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Detention facilities must remain subject to genuine and transparent oversight at all times, and any attempt to conceal conditions or obstruct inspection processes must be fully investigated.

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