Amnesty International has expressed deep concern over reports of inhuman treatment and alleged attempts to conceal detention conditions at the Tiger Base Police Unit in Imo State.
In a statement, the organisation called on Nigerian authorities to urgently investigate the allegations, publicly clarify the handling of detainees during a recent inspection, and grant independent human rights monitors unrestricted access to all detention facilities in the state. It also urged authorities to ensure protection for detainees against intimidation or retaliation.
According to reports from Owerri, detainees were allegedly removed from the Tiger Base facility and held within court premises between 7:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on April 16 and 17, 2026, purportedly to prevent their exposure during an unscheduled inspection visit.
The Nigeria Police Force confirmed that the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Margaret Ochalla, conducted an unscheduled working visit to the Imo State Police Command on April 16, during which the Tiger Base detention facility was inspected.
Amnesty International said the reported movement of detainees raises serious concerns about possible obstruction of oversight and attempts to conceal the actual conditions of detention at the facility.
The organisation noted that such actions, if confirmed, would constitute 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, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, all of which prohibit cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
It emphasised that detention facilities must be subject to transparent and credible oversight at all times, warning that any effort to obstruct inspection processes or misrepresent detention conditions must be thoroughly investigated and addressed.
