‘Promoted To Kill’: Nigerian police honoured officers implicated in 200 deaths, new report says

The police unit is currently headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Oladimeji Adeyeyiwa.

Victor Olorunfemi • December 15, 2025

ACP Oladimeji Adeyeyiwa

ACP Oladimeji Adeyeyiwa

The Nigerian Police Force allegedly promoted officers responsible for more than 200 extrajudicial killings in the dreaded ‘Tiger Base’ unit in Imo state, according to a new report by social movement against police brutality, Coalition Against Tiger Base Impunity (CAPTI).

CAPTI made this revelation during a press conference in Abuja on Monday, unveiling its latest report tagged ‘The Tiger Base Files’ that detailed the atrocities committed by police officers attached to Tiger Base, which is currently in the midst of intense scrutiny by the public. 

In the report, at least 200 cases of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances linked to the Owerri-based police unit between 2021 and 2025 were unraveled by CAPTI. 

The police unit is currently headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Oladimeji Adeyeyiwa.

The anti-kidnapping police unit is also accused of running multimillion-naira extortion schemes, charging between N200,000 to N2 million for cases that could have been resolved through the civil process. 

The cases documented by the report included that of one Japhet Njoko, who died in custody at the Tiger Case on May 5, 2025, after being allegedly tortured consistently by officers over unsubstantiated allegations of theft.

Another case involved Reverend Cletus Nwachukwu Egole, who alongside his wife and eight children were arrested in February 2021. The children were tortured for one week before they were released while the wife was held for more than one year before she was granted bail by a court. 

However, Mr Egole has not been heard from since then, with CAPTI claiming reports showed that he was killed by police in July of the same year and authorities have failed to account for him. 

In September 2025, the report stated that Chinoso Eluchie, a motorcycle taxi operator, was arrested in an illegal sting operation by the police unit while buying fuel. The report said he is currently being held on allegations of terrorism after initially denying the whereabouts of the man. 

Despite several complaints filed by individuals and human rights groups, the CAPTI said the Inspector General of Police has failed to take action about these allegations but some officers linked with the crimes got prompted instead. 

“Tiger Base has become synonymous with death, torture, and disappearance in Imo State,” Sanyaolu Juwon, coordinator of CAPTI said. “What we documented is not policing — it is systematic state-sanctioned murder operating with complete impunity.”

He added, “Officers torture detainees to death, defy court orders, ignore the Inspector General of Police, and even kill people after the National Human Rights Commission intervenes. Then they get promoted and awarded.”

Subsequently, CAPTI demands the disbandment of the police unit by the federal government, suspension of Mr Adeyeyiwa and other officers implicated in the atrocities. The group also called for the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the allegations of killings committed by the police.

Reacting to these allegations, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police, Henry Okoye, told Peoples Gazette that “these people should come to the office of public relations with their complaints and evidence against officers they believed committed any offence. In fact, a unit has been set up to investigate these cases and officers caught wanting would be brought to justice.”