No fewer than 23 states chairmen and other executives, throughout the federation, were inaugurated on Wednesday by the national leadership of the Chartered Institute of Transport Admnistration of Nigeria, CIOTA. The inaugural ceremony of opening state chapters of CIOTA, which was conducted in Abuja by the President, Dr. Segun Obayendo, accompanied by other national leaders was also done through virtual meeting with Zonal Executives in attendance. TheCaveat.com.ng reports that the TRACE Area Commander, Ogun West, Cdr Ajibade Adekunle, emerged the current Chairman of Ogun State Chapter of CIOTA, and took the oath of office and allegiance alongside seven other Executive officers. Other executive officers inducted alongside Ajibade as Ogun State CIOTA Executives include Margaret Emem Ogunbiyi, Vice Chairman, Odeyemi Agness, Secretary, Adewunmi Babatunde, Assistant Secretary, Filani Morolake Waleola, Fin. Sec. Yakub Azeez Oyegbenga, Treasurer, Jimoh Fatai Kehinde, as Provost, and Dr Taiwo Ali, as Auditor.
In his remarks, Commander General and the Chief Executive Officer, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE, Cdr ‘Seni Ogunyemi, charged the State chairmen and other executive officers to stem the rising tide of road crashes involving trailers and tankers on Nigerian roads through advocacy and enlightenment. He gave this charge on Wednesday during the inauguration of the new Executives, while officially declaring open the temporary office of the Ogun State chapter of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria, CIOTA, in Abeokuta. Cdr Ogunyemi who is the South-West Zonal Coordinator of CIOTA said the newly inaugurated state executives should hit the ground running by embarking on aggressive membership drive to bring in more qualified transport personnel into the fold in order to bring sanity into transportation in the country. Speaking on the enormous responsibility bestowed on him as the Ogun State Chairman of CIOTA, Ajibade said with capable egg heads executives with him he was sure CIOTA in Ogun will perform wonders in achieving a lot within a short period of time. He spoke of plans to take CIOTA to Manufacturer Association of Nigeria, MAN as well as other governmental and nongovernmental organizations, saying CIOTA is an association that belongs to all other professions with the slogan “We are CIOTA, we are indispendable”. In his keynote address, the committee Chairman of CIOTA, Prof Samuel Odewumi said the inauguration of the state chapters marks a significant step in deepening the professional reach, impact, and efficiency of transport administration in Nigeria. His words: “Transport is the backbone of economic development, social integration, and national progress. Efficient transport systems facilitate commerce, ensure seamless mobility, and drive economic prosperity. “As Nigeria continues to evolve due to urbanization, technological advancements, and infrastructural growth, the role of professional transport administrators becomes more critical than ever. “Establishing state chapters under CIOTA represents a bold and strategic move to decentralize our operations, foster inclusivity, and promote regional development within the transport sector. Through these chapters, we aim to: “Enhance Professionalism and Capacity Building: Our commitment to training and capacity development remains unwavering.
” The state chapters will serve as hubs for knowledge sharing, skills development, and professional networking to equip transport administrators with cutting-edge expertise and global best practices. “Strengthen Policy Advocacy and Implementation: The transport sector thrives on sound policies and effective implementation. With active state chapters, we can engage with state governments, policymakers, and relevant stakeholders to advocate for progressive policies that will improve transport systems and infrastructure across Nigeria. “Promote Research and Innovation: Our transport sector’s challenges require innovative solutions. Our state chapters will facilitate research, data collection, and practical strategies to address traffic congestion, safety, sustainability, and multimodal transport systems. “Encourage Stakeholder Engagement: Transport administration is a collective responsibility. We will work closely with government agencies, private sector players, academia, and the general public to foster collaboration and shared responsibility in advancing Nigeria’s transport sector. “Increase Membership and Public Awareness: CIOTA’s growth and sustainability depend on an active and engaged membership base. The state chapters will spearhead membership drives, awareness campaigns, and community outreach programs to ensure transport professionals recognize the benefits of joining and contributing to our institute.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EVENT Milestone in CIOTA’s Growth and Expansion: The inauguration of state chapters marks a new era in the professionalization of transport administration in Nigeria, strengthening CIOTA’s presence nationwide. Decentralization and Regional Development: By creating state chapters, CIOTA ensures localized implementation of its objectives, fostering direct engagement with state governments and transport professionals at the grassroots level. Enhancement of Professionalism and Capacity Building: The event signals the beginning of a more structured approach to training and professional development, allowing CIOTA to provide more accessible resources for skill enhancement. Strengthening of Policy Advocacy and Implementation: The establishment of state chapters enables targeted advocacy for improved transport policies and infrastructure, with a focus on state-specific transport challenges and opportunities. Promotion of Research and Innovation in Transport Administration: State chapters will facilitate data collection and research efforts, contributing to evidence-based solutions for Nigeria’s transport issues. Encouraging Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration: The event fosters partnerships between government, industry leaders, academia, and the private sector, ensuring a more unified voice in influencing transport policies. Expansion of CIOTA Membership and Public Awareness: The inauguration serves as a platform to attract new members and build a more diverse professional community while raising awareness about CIOTA’s role and benefits. Catalyst for Sustainable Transport Development: The event aligns with Nigeria’s broader goals of achieving a sustainable and efficient transport system, ensuring improved safety, efficiency, and sustainability in transport administration. Commitment to Excellence and Integrity: It highlights CIOTA’s dedication to upholding high ethical and professional standards in transport management, shaping the future of Nigeria’s transport sector. National Development and Economic Growth: Efficient transport systems contribute significantly to economic progress, and CIOTA’s expansion supports this objective by addressing challenges and fostering solutions at state and national levels.
” When brothers fight to death, a stranger inherits their father’s estate”.
-Chinua Achebe
My dear reader, it would be recalled that over the past five decades yours truly has severally warned our crop of political leaders- through opinion essays and discussions on radio and television stations’ programs- to always anchor their official decisions on the rule of law, as the Grundnorm of our democratic process. Under no circumstance should they therefore, condescend or bow to their whims and caprices, but be propelled by pro-people policies all in line with the larger picture of the national interest.
Unfortunately, the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers state and worse still, the rash removal or call it sudden suspension of the state governor, Simi Fubara, the deputy governor , Ngozi Edu, and members of the state House of Assembly-all duly elected representatives of the people -by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 has blatantly violated Section 305 of the 1999 constitution, which he swore to, on oath to abide by its dictates. Though that section of the constitution, which he gleefully quoted to support his decision grants him power to declare a state of emergency in the state, it does not empower him to suspend them from office.
According to the National President of the Nigeria Bar Association, (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe there are strict conditions and procedural safeguards put in place to ensure that extraordinary measures do not infringe on democratic governance and fundamental human rights. But sadly, Mister President has violated the law, which clearly spells out in Section 188 of the 1999 constitution what should be done before the removal of any elected politician from office. Similarly, Tinubu has removed the elected members of the Rivers state House of Assembly (HOA). Worse still, according to Dr. Reuben Abati, a former spokesperson to the then President Goodluck Jonathan, the president has appropriated unto himself the powers to make laws for the good people of Rivers state! That, to put it mildly spells dictatorship under a so called democratic dispensation. Abati stated so and goes further to explain that under Section 11 of the 1999 constitution it is only the National Assembly that can make laws for the state HOA, under such circumstances. Perhaps, Tinubu should have learnt lessons from former President Goodluck Jonathan. So, what did he do?
According to the Attorney General of the Federation under his administration, Mohammed Bello Adoke, when Jonathan declared state of emergency, specifically in the three embattled North-Eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe due to the monstrous rampaging monster of insecurity he made sure that no state governor was removed from office. That was in 2013..He did so well aware that a state of emergency allows the federal government to take firm control of security and impose restrictions on movement in certain areas.
Shedding brighter light on what transpired in the past, Adoke explained that though the 1961 State of Emergency Act allowed the removal of premiers under a state of emergency, both the 1979 and 1999 constitutions made no room for the suspension of any duly elected governor, his deputy or the law makers. So, bluntly put what Tinubu has done is an aberration to the rules of law. The legal luminary and respected human rights lawyer, Liborous Oshoma is of that firm opinion as made public on Channels Television morning program . And Abati has described it as an impeachable offence! But how did this come about?
Inspite of previous attempts to find a sustainable solution to the face-off between Governor Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the latter who got appointment as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja on account of his open support for Tinubu’s presidency in 2023, the president has apparently pitched tent with Wike. That is the one man who believes his political might is his legal right. Subsequent to one court judgment after another, regarding the 27 lawmakers’ validity the pendulum of the Supreme Court judgement which eventually swung in their favour triggered the shockwaves beneath Fubara’s governorship seat. With that Wike and his allies were ready to nail his political coffin. But it is legally obnoxious that Mister President has violated the constitution,all in the bid to satisfy the bold and brazen ambition of Wike to play the demi-god in the political drama as it unfolded, not minding the consequences to the traumatized people of Rivers state. That situation has set off some burning questions.
People are asking that if Tinubu could mediate in the Lagos state House of Assembly crisis, why could he not deploy similar political sagacity in that of Rivers state? Is it true that the root cause of the altercation between Fubara and Wike had to do with the former’s inability to meet the financial returns to the latter, as earlier agreed? Could it be true that it was Fubara’s traducers that are responsible for the hatchet job of the pipeline vandalism all in the bold bid to give a dog a bad name, by hanging him? Was it not in this same state that back on July 9, 2013 a lawmaker was hit severally on his head as quarrel ensued between two rival political parties, and the video clip went viral on social media? It was one nauseating event that informed my opinion essay titled: ‘ Rivers of Shame and Jungle Democracy ‘ as published by different newspapers on August 2, 2013 and on page 242 of my book, ‘ Drumbeats of Democracy’.
Going forward, as recommended by the NBA the National Assembly should act with the desired dispatch to rein in the monster of illegality gradually taking over our political space. As it aptly described the suspension saga by Tinubu, ” it is illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional”. It should not be allowed to stand. Not at all!
All sides of the matter considered, with the unconstitutional suspension of Fubara and the people – elected politicians of the state coming soon after the illegal suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Nigeria’s version of democracy has made a mockery of us as a people. The world is watching us. And this should serve as a moment for sober reflection on the part of our political leaders.
Press statement by suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara on the state of emergency declared in Rivers State:
My dear Rivers People,
I address you today with a deep sense of responsibility and calm, as we navigate this unfortunate moment in our state’s political history.
Since assuming office as your Governor, all my actions and decisions have been guided by my constitutional oath of office and a great sense of duty.
We prioritized the protection of lives and property and ensured the continuous progress of our dear State.
Even in the face of the political impasse, we have remained committed to constitutional order and the rule of law, putting the interest of our people above all else.
This was why, immediately after Mr. President’s intervention to broker peace, we did not hesitate to implement the agreed terms in good faith, including welcoming back commissioners who had previously resigned on their own volition.
Furthermore, we moved swiftly to comply with the Supreme Court’s judgement immediately we received the certified true copy of the judgement to return the state to normalcy.
These steps were taken not for personal gains but to foster peace, unity and stability in our dear State.
Unfortunately, at every turn, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly frustrated our efforts, thus making genuine peace and progress difficult.
Our priorities remained the security of lives and property and advancing the well-being and prosperity of Rivers people.
Yes, we have political disagreements, but good governance had continued, salaries have been paid, and great projects were being executed to move the State forward. Above all, Rivers State is safe, secure and peaceful under our watch.
At this critical time, I urge all Rivers people to remain peaceful and law-abiding. We will engage with all relevant institutions to ensure that our democracy remains strong and that Rivers State continues to thrive.
We have always been a resilient people, and we will face this situation with wisdom, patience, and unwavering faith in the democratic process.
God bless Rivers State. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday, by the Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule.
Amaewhule said the Assembly would abide by the president’s decision, even though it was not what they had hoped for.
“We assure our constituents that we will abide by this declaration, even though it is not what we prayed for. Mr. President has acted in the best interest of the country,” Amaewhule said.
The Speaker blamed Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the crisis in Rivers State, accusing him of ignoring court judgments and failing to govern in line with the constitution.
“The condition of our dear Rivers State today is mainly because of the malfeasance of the governor, who serially disobeyed court judgments and obstructed the Rivers State House of Assembly,” he stated.
Amaewhule called on residents to remain calm and cooperate with the Sole Administrator appointed by the president to oversee the affairs of the state.
“We urge everyone to remain calm as the Sole Administrator assumes duty. Rest assured that the Assembly will give him all the necessary support to restore order,” he added.
The Speaker also thanked the people of the state for their patience, prayers and support during this period of emergency.
On Tuesday, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
He said the decision was taken to restore stability in the state that has been witnessing political turmoil as a result of the disagreement between the state governor and the state lawmakers.
Following his declaration, the president appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibokette Ibas, as an administrator for Rivers State.
The Police Service Commission today, Tuesday, March 18th 2025, continued with it’s ongoing Plenary Meeting with the promotion of 219 senior Police Officers of different ranks.The Commission had on Monday approved the promotion of 66 Officers that included 20 Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Assistant Inspectors General of Police and 19 Deputy Commissioners to the substantive rank of Commissioners. Others were 13 Superintendents of Police to Chief Superintendents and 14 Deputy Superintendents of Police to Superintendents. The Commission today approved the promotion of 26 Assistant Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Deputy Commissioners; 23 Chief Superintendents of Police to Assistant Commissioners and 170 Assistant Superintendents of Police to Deputy Superintendents. The Assistant Commissioners of Police elevated to the next rank are; Tarzan Yusuf Tsav, Area Commander, Irrua, Edo State who was also a former Area Commander, Uromi in the same state; Samantha Nansah Barko, ACP SCID, Bauchi state Command; Shehu Wase Abdullahi, Area Commander Kazaure, Jigawa State Command; Ajeigbe Olayinka, Area Commander, Area ‘M’ Idimu, Lagos; Abubakar Haruna, Area Commander, Metro, Jos, Plateau State; Elisha Daniel Bawa, ACP Operations Kwara State Command; Ibrahim Abdul Ahmed, Area Commander, Katsina-Ala, Benue State; Williams Aboi Tawon, ACP Department of Finance and Administration, Zone 7, Abuja and Elija Sunny Dangana, ACP CID, Oyo State, ACP Provost, Force Headquarters, Lagos Annex and ACP CID Maritime Command, Force Headquarters, Annex, Lagos.Others are; Bello Wudil Hamisu, ACP Eastern By-Pass, Kano; Usanga Ime Bassey, ACP DFA, Cross Rivers State; Alice Ajuma Abbah, ACP PSFU, Abuja; ACP Abdulaziz Aliyu, ACP Anti Human Trafficking, FCID Abuja; ACP Yahaya Usman, Area Commander, Degema, Rivers state; Mohammed Abdullahi, Area Commander Ringim, Jigawa State; Shehu Garba, Assistant Director, Operations, North West Zone, office of the National Security Adviser; Tukur Garba, ACP, Operations, Jigawa State; Dankwano Wilson, Commander PMF 11, Calabar; Mohammed Mujitaba Makama, Area Commander, Dutsinma Katsina State and Hassan Yahaya, Area Commander, Nsukka, Enugu State.Charles Okafor, ACP Cyber Security, Info-Tech Abuja; Raphael Aiwansosa, ACP Admin Communication, Force Headquarters Abuja; Frances Olufemi Oshuporu; Commandant PCIT, Abeokuta; Kangiwa Ibrahim; Director ICT, POLAC; Donald King Ibanga, ACP Information Management System, Force Headquarters and Andatu Pati Magaji of the Police Reference Hospital, Utako, Abuja make up the 26 Assistant Commissioners promoted to Deputy Commissioners.
The 22 Chief Superintendents of Police promoted to Assistant Commissioners include; Ibrahim Kayode Ajanaku; Uduaku Bassey Edet; Kabir Afolabi Kazeem; Abubakar MU’azu Dalhatu; Tudun- wada Munir Ahmad; Alhaji Bello Oro and Bashir Kachala. Others also include; Egbeyemi Olayinka Saheed, former Commander Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences, Former Commander, Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State and Commander Raider, D9 Section of Lagos State CID, Panti Lagos; Theophilus Emeka Eze, DPO, Ihiala, Anambra State and also former DPO Ogbunike of the same State.Some of the 170 Assistant Superintendents of Police promoted to the next rank of Deputy Superintendents are; Gombwer Wokdung; Bulus Danjuma; Mohammed Usman; Yusuf Ibrahim , Katsina State Command; Ahmad Katama, Kano state Command; Danjuma Musa, Kaduna State Command and Ugwuanyi Obinna Peter 2i/c Anti Kidnapping section, Zonal CID Zone 13 Ukpo, Anambra State.Others are; Abraham Albert, Mopol 50, kubwa, Abuja; Abduljalal Bello Muhammad, Police College Kaduna; Ezeme Lambert Obinna, Anambra state Command and Usman Musa Said, Kano state Command amongst others.Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd, mni told the Officers during the promotion examination and interactive interview that promotion exams have come to stay. DIG Argungu said the Police must accept the reality that every public servant must be subjected to promotion examinations. He noted that the Commission will not promote any Police Officer who has not gone through one form of examination or the other in line with the existing public service Rules.DIG Taiwo Lakanu, fdc, Honourable Commissioner representing the Police and Chief Onyemuchi Nnamani were part of the interview panel and supervised the written examination.
Investigative journalist, JULIANA FRANCIS, continues with the expose of the frightful inhuman treatment of detainees in the Anti-kidnapping Unit, known as Tiger Base Police in Owerri, Imo State Police Command. She further tells how Nigeria Police Personnel’s avariciousness pushes them into getting involved in civil matters, which is against the law.
We Saw Detainees With Bullet Wounds, Paid N250,00 For Bail -Reverend
When this reporter met and spoke with Reverend Victor, he appeared to still be reeling in shock. He could not understand why he was arrested for being the ‘good guy’ in a scandalous incident.
He did not just express shock, he also expressed anger and disappointment with the Tiger Base Police’s unprofessionalism.
He said that he was tagged a hardened criminal because he tried to seek justice for a girl-child who was sexually molested by her grandfather. The Reverend explained that his uncle raped his granddaughter, and the girl would later cry out.
He remembered: “I am the chairman of our family, and my wife is the chair lady of the extended family. It was during a fact-finding mission that we shockingly discovered that the abuse of the granddaughter by my uncle started in Lagos State.
“My uncle was caught and arrested in Lagos, but he bribed his way out and quickly relocated to the village. It’s because he is an old man that the girl was sent to stay with him, and he continued with the violation.
“The girl, who is now 18 years old, could not take it anymore, cried out. We heard her cries, and along with the elders of our family, we called and questioned him. He got angry and picked a quarrel.
“He said my wife and I collaborated and asked the girl to lay false allegations against him. He went to court and sued us for defamation. He said we will pay him N50 million for damages. The elders told him that the accusing finger was pointing at him, that he should state the truth.”
On the 27th of October 2024 around 1:5 a.m., Police surrounded the Reverend’s house. They knocked and when he opened it, they were on him like fleas. He said that he was not even allowed to put on his slippers before he and his were bundled out. But he luckily, quickly alerted his relatives. The couple was dragged to Tiger Base Police.
Victor said sadly: “A policeman there asked why his colleagues would go to our house at that hour to arrest us, that they only arrest criminals at that hour. The way Tiger Base Police personnel carry out operations is not good. It gives the Nigeria Police a bad name. They are simply heartless and don’t care about humanity. During the short time we spent there, we saw people with gunshot wounds on their legs.
“Some of those policemen, after breaking a suspect’s leg, would start treating him. Again, they are supposed to investigate a matter before arrest, but they will arrest someone without investigating anything.
“Even if someone writes a petition, Police should investigate, so they don’t end up killing innocent people for nothing! For instance, my wife and I would have been killed if not for God. What crime did we commit? The State and Federal governments should know that what is going on at Tiger Base is wrong!
“The government should investigate that place and it should be dismantled. Sometimes, a church will be in session, these Tiger Base Policemen will storm the place, destroy the altar, and then whisk people away. I paid N250,000 for our bail.”
Tenant, Landlady Disagreement Ends Up At Tiger Base
Opara is another person dragged to Tiger Base, not because of a criminal matter, but because he had an altercation with his landlady. The landlady is the owner of, not just his shop, but also his apartment.
He said that his shop rent expired in July and he was supposed to renew in August, while the house rent would expire in December.
He was served a quit notice on both properties in March to vacate in June. His lawyer wrote to the landlady, asking that Opara be allowed to exhaust his running rent, but rather than comply, he was sued. The matter went to court, and in that process, his landlady disconnected his electricity. He and the landlady had a standoff over the disconnection.
He would later be arrested and taken to Tiger Base. He said that he was shocked witless by his IPO, identified as Esther’s hostility towards him.
His words: “The IPO assigned to my case is called Esther. When she came and called my name, I stepped forward and she screamed at me, ‘Thunder will fire you! You will die here! You’re a criminal! Your landlady said you should pack out, you don’t want to, do you know how much they sell cement.’
“I pleaded with her to allow me to explain my side of the incident, but she refused to listen, rather she continued to tell me that I would die in prison. She drafted my statement. When my wife, her brother and my lawyer came to start processing my bail, I was asked to pay N700,000 for bail, but after many negotiations, it was reduced to N200,000. I was arrested on the 24th and they collected my phone. I was released on the 30th.
“I was asked to sign an undertaking that I would vacate on or before the 30th of December while my rent was still running. The Police said if I failed to vacate, they would rearrest me. I wrote the undertaking, and my lawyer was there.
“I pointed out to them that it was a civil case, but the police said that even if it was, I should have vacated the apartment after a quit notice was issued. They asked me if the building belonged to me and if I knew how much a plot of land is sold.”
Activist Detained For Bringing Food For Detainee
Mazi Amadi Innocent Obi is a human rights activist once detained at Tiger Base; his offence was that he brought food for a young relative of his called Chuks, who was detained there.
He explained that Chuks and some youths fought over land and Chuks sustained serious injuries. Eyewitnesses told Obi that Chuks and three other youngsters were taken away and nobody knew who took them and where they were taken.
Obi said: “We started looking for them and went to hospitals, but we finally found Chuks at the Police hospital in Owerri, he was on a drip. That night we found him; he couldn’t talk. He was covered in blood.”
The activist said that when he went the following day to visit Chuks, he was surprised to hear that he had been dragged to Tiger Base by some police personnel despite his life-threatening injuries.
Obi initially did not know that it was operatives from Tiger Base who came to pick him up. He started looking for Chuks and then went to the Imo State Police Command Headquarters. He said that he had to pay N5000 before he was told where Chuks was being held.
His words: “I had to pay the media section of the police headquarters N5000 just for them to make a call, to know where Chuks was being held. I moved to Tiger Base.”
When he was heading out, he ensured that he went with food for Chuks and the other youngsters. Obi, reflecting on the day of the event, leading to the arrest of Chuks and others, said: “The day Police came into the village, they arrested a whole lot of people, just to make sure that the money they would later request from the arrested people would be huge.
“In the evening, I made sure to go with food enough for the boys. After giving them the food, the police detained me. I didn’t commit any crime, just that I came to give Chuks and others food. They removed my shoe and everything and just like that I was detained for two days.
“Over 30 of us crammed into a room. We couldn’t breathe; it was a dead zone. In the night, people will be fanning themselves. The cell next to me is called Dead End, people die there every day. Many of them were hungry and I saw them eating their faeces. They ate poop!
“I was there for two days, and it was a traumatising two days. I got an infection within those two days, and I suffered it for almost three months. I had to look for ways to send messages to my colleagues to come and bail me. When I came out, I told our village people that we should mobilise to get those boys out, but our people ran away because they were scared of Tiger Base Police. Finally, my colleague, Majorie Ezihe got every one of us out.”
Detainees Were Shot In My Presence, I Escaped Rape -Mary
Mary was arrested along the road and taken to Tiger Base Police and spent over nine months in detention, while her family members were frantically looking for her. She would later find out that she was arrested because the police alleged her of being an IPOB member’s girlfriend.
She said: “I didn’t commit any crime, they were looking for someone and just because that person was on my phone contact list, they arrested and tortured me. After I was taken to Tiger Base Police in Owerri, I received countless slaps, beatings, and punches, of which I’m still suffering from the effect to date. I am always feeling chest and neck pains.
“The neck pains are the worst for me. I’ve been going to the hospital, but doctors cannot seem to understand the pain or find a solution to it. I have been on drugs, and I cannot sneeze well and cannot sing beyond a certain pitch.
“My vocal cord was affected during the torture. I escaped being raped twice by policemen at Tiger Base. I slept on the bare floor of the cell. For all IPOB cases, we were given food once a day.
“Detainees are killed after staying in detention for months and even innocent people are paraded as criminals or IPOB. Detainees killed by the Police are mostly innocent of any crime. Even if someone is innocent, the person will be paraded, along with some weapons that the person knows nothing about.
“Whenever a detainee is called out by 8:pm, just know that the person is gone; he is never coming back. When I was there, I heard about a pit where these policemen dump the corpses of killed detainees, but I don’t know its location. Even as I am speaking with you, these killings are still happening! It is even worse now than before. The Commander of that Tiger Base, Mr Oladimeji, is a very heartless man. He has killed many innocent souls.
“He comes to the cells twice daily to count us, both male and female. Each time we go for counting, he takes notes of faces that had been long in detention. If he has seen someone who has been there for a long, he would tell his policemen that he doesn’t want to see the person next time he comes to count. It means they should kill the person.
“Many young Nigerians have died inside that place, killed by these policemen. They have shot detainees before my eyes. Many souls were lost! Female detainees, including myself, do their laundry, and dishes, and sweep and clean offices.
“Detainees are hanged and almost all detainees there are tagged as killers, criminals, terrorists, kidnappers! Those were all the trump-up charges against me.”
Businessman Arrested Twice Over Same Case, Extorted N700,000
This reporter caught up with Mr Edu, a businessman based in Anambra State, who was arrested and taken to Tiger Base Police in Imo State, due to an unsatisfactory business dealing between him and his customer.
It was a civil case. The incident happened in 2023. He disclosed that he was arrested twice over the same matter and in both instances, he was heavily extorted.
He explained that he sent money to his customer, who confirmed receiving the payment. The customer, however, later claimed that the complete payment earlier noticed in his account, was no longer so. The matter was taken to the market union, which launched an investigation.
Before the union was done, Policemen from Imo State came to pick him up in Anambra State. He was later released and given a date for what the police termed an interview.
When he came for the interview on the 23rd of April, the police who arrested him, granted him bail, but the complainant was not satisfied, thereafter Edu was rearrested and then detained from April to June.
He recounted: “It was on June 4th that the Police said that I would be charged to court, I said it was okay. However, rather than take me to court, I was moved to Tiger Base. When we got there, the detainees were like zombies, half dead and half alive. Some were just skeletons. It was a danger zone. Although it was only two days I spent at Tiger Base, I took to praying to God to get me out of there, not to allow me to die there. I almost died.
“Every late night, police will come and take some detainees away; you will think theywere being called because of documentation issues, but they will never return! The cells are tight. Mere touching of detainees there, you will contract infection. I contracted an infection there. This is 2025 and I am still treating myself for the infection I got there.”
Edu said that he would not have been released if not for someone reaching out to the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, who screamed at his men, asking why they detained Edu for over two months over a civil matter.
Edu said: “The first time I was arrested, I was detained for a month, that is 30 days. The second time, I was detained for two months, that’s like 60 days. Due to the intervention of the CP, I was told to get someone to take my bail. During my brief sojourn at Tiger Base, while fearing for my life, I got to listen to detainees I met there sharing their experiences.
“Some of them were tortured using a filing machine! I even got to see it with my own eyes. There is a place where the police have an engine outside the building. If they want to torture someone, if they want you to confess to a crime you didn’t commit, they will put your hand into the filing machine.
“It would be filing your body. Removing your body. Some detainees are tied and hanged. The torture there is just appalling. If you see the detainees at Tiger Base, you will weep!
“I met a man there who had spent over a year in detention. He said that he bought a car and one day while driving, police stopped him, claiming that the car was stolen by someone and sold to this detainee. He was arrested and dumped at Tiger Base.
“He told me so many horrible things going on there and then asked me to pray to God. He said that it was only God that could make the police release me from that hell. Some families were packed inside, along with their children.
“If you have a family quarrel, the relative that has the financial upper hand can cause you and your children to be dragged to that place. I saw children and old folks more than 80 years old in detention there. They were packed in the passage with their families. I saw children between the ages of six and seven. For the first arrest, I paid N400,000 for bail and the second arrest, I paid N300,000 for bail.”
I Almost Lost An Eye In Hands Of Tiger Base Police Personnel – Mr Promise
Mr Promise is another victim of Tiger Base Police Personnel. According to him, his boss had a marital squabble with his wife. The wife, in anger, went to Tiger Base and asked the police to arrest her husband. Unfortunately, on the day they came to grab her husband, he was not at home.
The policemen instead bundled Promise out of the house and then subjected him to severe beating.
Promise narrated: “They beat me recklessly, almost damaged one of my eyes. I was punched from different angles. I was detained for two weeks and three days.
“If you’re having an issue with someone and the person took the matter to Tiger Base Police, just understand that the person meant to kill you. Tiger Base Police is not a place for anyone to go. I would rather prefer to be locked up in prison than be detained at Tiger Base Police.
“It is the worst place for anyone to be. The place is like hell and the policemen operate like kidnappers. Once you’re arrested, they won’t allow you to reach out to your family members or friends. Many people are suffering there, and many have been there for months.
“After my release, I had been going to hospital because of the eye. The federal government should do everything possible to scrap or disband the Tiger Base Police. The way suspects are treated there is dreadful! When I was in detention, everyone they brought in to join us had injuries. I don’t know if beating and torturing people mercilessly is part of their rules there.”
Politician Kidnapped In Abuja By Tiger Base Police, Denied Lawyer, Medicare
Mrs Excel Ihekweme narrated how her husband, Dr Fabian Ihekweme, a former commissioner for foreign and international Affairs in Imo State, was ‘kidnapped’ in Abuja by operatives of Tiger Base Police.
Excel explained that her husband was arrested for criticising the poor governance going on in Imo State.
The Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodima, allegedly miffed by the criticism of his former commissioner, wrote a petition against Fabian to the Police in Abuja, but it was allegedly discarded for lacking merit.
When the Police in Abuja refused to play ball, Tiger Base Police in Imo State were called and they stormed Abuja, and arrested Fabian. In the case of Fabian, Tiger Base Police were accused of illegal arrest, unlawful detention, and denying Fabian rights to Medicare and a lawyer.
Excel said: “We live in Abuja, so the governor sent a police team from Imo state to come to Abuja to arrest my husband. The Police in Abuja had earlier refused to arrest my husband, saying that his writings were within his Fundamental Human Rights. The Policemen from Tiger Base came to Abuja and abducted him from our house and took him to Imo State on the 27th of November 2024, till date (January, 2025).
“The Police refused to grant him bail and also refused to charge him in court. When he is visited by his sister, the police wouldn’t give them privacy for him to tell her what he is going through. However, the fact is that he is being held there illegally. These policemen just picked him up unannounced. He didn’t spend Christmas and New Year with us.”
Gloria Okolie Alleged Of Being IPOB Spy, Detained For Over 10 Months
The ordeal of Gloria Okolie will not be forgotten in a hurry by Nigerians and major Civil Society Organisations. Okolie was arrested on allegations of being a spy and girlfriend of IPOB.
The Police alleged that her bank account was being used to receive money from donors and sponsors of IPOB. She was taken to Tiger Base Police, and spent months there, before being moved to IRT Headquarters in Abuja.
The 21-year-old girl was arrested while on an errand for her parents. She and the commercial cyclist, who carried her on that day, were arrested. The police never reached out to her parents to tell them that Okolie had been arrested.
The distraught parents worried sick that something terrible had happened to Okolie, ran from pillar to post, searching for her, including going to police stations and mortuaries.
They had already given up hope of finding her when the cyclist, who was released by the police, went to tell them that Okolie was in the detention facility, sweeping, cooking, and doing the laundry for the police personnel.
Outraged human rights activists and lawyers had swung into action, working round the clock to secure her bail. All legal overtures made by lawyers and activists toward securing her release from prison were blocked by the police.
Eventually, she was granted bail on 23rd March 2022. There are speculations that she could have been violated by the police personnel.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice, in a judgment delivered, held the Federal Republic of Nigeria accountable for the unlawful detention and mistreatment of Okolie.
According to the applicants, Okolie was denied access to legal counsel, subjected to forced labour, and physically abused during her detention. The applicants argued that these actions breached several human rights instruments.
The court also awarded ₦10 million in compensation and issued directives to safeguard human rights.
Note: Some detainees who spoke with the reporter requested their real names should not be used to avoid being rearrested or targeted by Tiger Base Police Personnel.
This Report Was Supported By the Rule Of Law And Accountability Advocacy Centre As Part Of Its Interventions In Southeast Insecurity and Its Impact On Human Rights, Civic Space And Development.
A cloud of fear hangs over the people of Imo State in the southeast region of Nigeria. This fear has enveloped their minds and most pronounced among people, suspects, who had been ‘guests’ at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, popularly known as Tiger Base Police.
The suspects who survived Tiger Base Police, while narrating in chilling details, their experiences, all said that it was akin to walking through the valley of the shadow of death,
A staggering number of former detainees refused to listen, let alone share their experiences due to fear of being rearrested or targeted.
The core mandate of the Anti-kidnapping Unit in Imo State Police Command is to investigate crimes that have to do with kidnapping, but the personnel currently are not playing by the rules guiding the Unit. Investigation shows that Police who are supposed to be protectors have become persecutors.
Many Detainees Collapse, Die In Detention – Chinonso
Beautiful Chinonso is one of the courageous people, who haltingly shared her story. It was because of her beauty that the intrepid human rights lawyer, Ms. Majorie Ezihe, who got her out of Tiger Base Police after three months in detention, fretted that the girl might have been sexually violated. Ezihe is planning to send her for therapy.
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Chinonso is a quiet girl, who hurriedly shared her ordeal with Tiger Base Police without going into many details. Chinonso, like other former detainees, said that sharing their experiences was like dragging them back into the traumatic nightmare they were struggling to forget.
The 25-year-old lady was arrested after she lost her phone in 2024. The phone was stolen from where it was being charged. She was already planning to buy a new one when policemen from Tiger Base swooped on her.
She recounted: “I remembered telling my brother that I would have to block the SIM, but I abandoned the idea. I was in the compound when the police came to arrest me. They asked me why I didn’t report to the Police that my phone was stolen.
“They said my stolen phone and SIM had to do with a murder case. I was detained for three months. My brother repeatedly tried to bail me out, but the Police told him that they wouldn’t release me until I confessed. I didn’t know what they wanted me to confess to.
“I was locked up for three months in a room without ventilation. The heat was too much and as a result, most of us in detention had rashes all over our bodies.”
Chinonso said that for the three months she was locked up, she was not allowed to write a statement. A suspect writing a statement is supposed to be a standard initial procedure after arrest.
Her mother, a distraught widow, wrote a petition to a human rights organisation, which stepped into the case.
After that, the case positively turned around for Chinonso. She would later write her statement, charged to court, and then granted bail.
However, things that she witnessed at Tiger Base Police still haunted her.
She recollected: “There were cells for men and women, but these cells are so small. We sat on a bare floor and the heat was unbearable.
“There were women I met in the cell and even though I spent three months there, I still left them there. I was lucky, I was not beaten. But a certain woman was beaten mercilessly. She was arrested because the police couldn’t find her son.
“She and other women were beaten with planks, and at some point, some of them started accepting the allegations heaped on them. My Investigating Police Officer (IPO) is Chidi Igwe.
“While I was in detention, there was a time some sex workers were arrested at hotels. Sometimes these prostitutes will be up to 40 in a cell. These ladies would start fainting because the cell is cramped.
“Many people died in those detention facilities; some people had become so weak that they couldn’t even walk. Every day Police will carry out a male corpse. These Policemen do not pity anyone, and I do not know where they take the corpses.”
Several actions and inactions of the Police personnel at Tiger Base contravene the extant law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and international laws.
According to investigations by this reporter, many victims/suspects, who went through Tiger Base Police were subjected to torture, extra-judicial killings, being held incommunicado, heavily extorted, victims of illegal arrest, and detention.
Many suspects were also said to have died of starvation and others were arrested in lieu, among other violations.
The only personae in this ongoing theatre of horror at Tiger Police are the personnel, who continued to laugh all the way to the bank.
People who pass through Tiger Base are threatened with rearrest if they dare to share their experiences with the media, and some are even made to write letters of undertaking to that effect. Others are made to speak in videos incriminating themselves.
My Nephew, Ekene Francis Elemuwa, Was Arrested Alive, Brought Out Dead – Reverend Onyekwere
Reverend Onyekwere Elemuwa is among the hundreds of Nigerians, if not thousands, seeking answers to know what happened to their loved ones when they were taken into custody by Tiger Base Police.
Onyekwere’s 34-year-old nephew, Ekenedilichukwu Francis Elemuwa, was hale and healthy when he was arrested, but he would later be brought out in a body bag.
Ekene’s family members are yet to know what has become of his corpse. Police, said his relative, refused to release it.
Indeed, Ekene, who was into Estate Management, had plans to marry his awaiting fiancée and had concluded plans to travel out of Nigeria before his untimely death.
He was said to have been arrested alongside his friend, called Ikemba.
Onyekwere said: “On 28th of August 2023, at about 8:pm, Ekene went out with his friend, Ikemba. He wanted to collect his phone, which he gave to someone to charge for him. In the process, policemen in their vehicle blocked and took both men away. Both young men shouted, asking to know their offence, but the police did not respond.
“They were taken to Tiger Base. The following day, Ekene told them to contact his people, but these police people refused. They also did not contact Ikemba’s people.”
Onyekwere is not happy that the Police have not given them answers to many questions, one of which is what or who killed Ekene and what was the charge levelled against him by the Police.
He said: “This is a boy who had never experienced police arrest or detention before. He was a good boy. He was arrested either on the 8th or 9th of August, he was there till August 30th and 2nd of September. He died on the 4th. Ekene’s brother was further told by other detainees that when Ekene suddenly slumped, other detainees started shouting that someone had slumped, it was then that the police came.
“The Police said they were taking him to hospital when he died, but his cellmates insisted that it was his corpse that the police carried out of the cell. The question now is how did we know about this issue? The police seized his phone and did not allow him to contact his family. They did not arraign him in court and the worst part is that he did not have a case file. We still do not know his offence, or why he was arrested and detained.”
Onyekwere said that they would not have known of Ekene’s arrest, detention, and death, if not for a former suspect, who contacted Ekene’s elder brother after he regained his freedom.
Meanwhile, Ekene’s family members had been frantically searching for him, calling his phone line, which was permanently switched off.
Nobody knew Ekene was arrested and then died in police custody. When the family members finally got information that Ekene was in Tiger Base Custody, they dashed there, but the police bold-facedly denied knowing anyone with that name and description.
“It was when someone mentioned Ikemba, Ekene’s friend, who is still alive and in detention there, that the police accepted that Ekene was brought there. They referred his brothers to one Inspector Moses, who for no reason started threatening them, and told them not to disturb him.
“This Inspector Moses is Ekene’s IPO. He was asked about the case file and the offence that the boy committed, but Inspector Moses did not give any answer. He did not give us a clue as to where Ekene’s corpse is.”
Onyekwere said that they had to get a lawyer involved, who petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The IGP then instructed the Imo State Commissioner of Police, to find out what happened to Ekene.
Onyekwere recounted: “It was at that point that Inspector Moses told my brothers to meet one SP Oladimeji, who is in charge of the Tiger Base Police.
“The Oladimeji explained that truly Ekene was arrested, along with another boy. He said that Ekene became sick in detention, and they took him to the hospital, it was so serious and then he died in the hospital.
“The question I asked was, did he die inside the police cell, or did he die inside the police vehicle, or did he die in the hospital why doctors were treating him? The Police did not give me answers to these three questions.”
Police Held Rifle, Machete To My Head, Ordered Me To Write False Statement – Citizen Offor
Another shocking incident is what happened to Mr Offor with his electrician. The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of Offor’s case, identified as Promise, would later say that Offor and the electrician were arrested because they drove close to the Imo State Governor’s convoy.
The Police claimed that the Special Adviser to the Governor, suspecting that they might be kidnappers, ordered the Police to arrest them. They were arrested and marched to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit at Tiger Base.
Offor was released following the intervention of a human rights activist, but he had already been through hell and back. Family members were angry that after 72 hours of detaining Offor, he was not investigated and was not released.
Before he was granted bail, the IPO demanded N500,000 for bail, but after haggling, N40,000 was paid.
Offor recounting his ordeal in Tiger Base Police, said that his education made him know that his fundamental rights were infringed upon.
He explained that on the 14th of November 2022, he invited an electrician to come over and help him fix his residential electrical issues. The electrician demanded payment in cash because he needed it for food and transportation. Offor had no cash.
Offor said: “I had no other option than to drive out at about 10:35 pm to the nearest ATM to withdraw cash to pay him.”
Most of the ATM galleries were not dispensing, thus Offor continued his search, and it was in the process he noticed some vehicles in convoy.
Offor said: “No sooner than we got to the UBA, parked at the front of the Bank and came out of our vehicle to approach the ATM, we noticed that all the fleet of the said vehicular convoy stopped ahead of us. We noticed a considerable number of Mobile Policemen, armed with AK47 Rifles approached, rounded us up and started barking at us, asking who we were.”
Offor recalled that he and the electrician were immediately ordered to open all doors of the vehicle and booth. He introduced himself and explained his quest for an ATM gallery.
Just when Offor thought the policemen were done with them, they arrested them. When he asked the nature of their offence, Mum’s the word. He said that at a point, he thought they had fallen into the clutches of kidnappers disguised as police officers.
They soon drove to Tiger Police, opposite the Imo State Government House. He said that when they drove in, they were petrified as some armed policemen pointed guns at them and wanted to shoot.
But the two officers that accompanied Offor and the electrician screamed: “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”
The armed policemen then broke into chants: “Shoot them! Kill them! Dagger them!”
Offor said: “My heartbeat was terrible as the whole incident had been too much for me. Inside, we saw a crowd of people, some with grievous wounds and injuries, bandages and so on, some lying down, some standing and some squatting.
“Many of the injuries on their various bodies were either bullet wounds, machete cuts or dagger piercings. There was a stench from both the passages that led into a more deadly Solitary Confinements of small compartments where human beings were kept for various categories of timelines, ranging in days, weeks, some several months with such quantum of numbers, ranging between 30 to 40 suspects per patch as such does not even qualify to be regarded as rooms.
“Many of the suspects however were suffering from not only various degrees of grievous and harmful wounds, but also from many kinds of poor hygiene diseased related ailments such as Chicken poxes and skin diseases. Many of those who had different major injuries were not taken proper care of.
“Their bodies were half rotting even though they were still breathing. Many of them complained to me that they had never been given access to their families as their phones were seized on the day of their arrest.
“Many were seriously malnourished. Some were dying daily, and corpses were being carted away to unknown places. The electrician and I were kept in solitary confinement for two nights, without access to our family members, friends, or relatives, just like what some of the detainees narrated to me.
“The cells were filled up and yet people were still being brought in at intervals and piled in like sardines, without a recourse to the number of suspects or health implications. Detainees had no food and water and were simply dying slowly but surely.”
The following day after their arrest, Offor and his electrician were called out for their statements to be recorded. His initial IPO was one Austine, who later transferred his case to IPO Promise. Offor described Promise as “cruel, and abusive, given to threatening suspects, assaulting, and inflicting injuries.”
He said that his trouble with Officer Promise began after he refused to cooperate with him to doctor his confessional statement.
Offor said that his statement was at the concluding part when Austin handed him to IPO Promise, who started interrogating him about his car.
IPO Promise then went and searched Offor’s car, irrespective of the fact the car had been searched earlier.
“IPO Promise alleged me all forms of crimes, ranging from drug addict, kidnapper, to assassin. When he could not find anything incriminating in my car, he began to point at my Registration Number, alleging that I covered it, which I refused. He went ahead to damage my transparent plate number cover which had been there for several months without harassment by any Law enforcement agents on the road,” said Offor.
He said of Officer Promise: “At various intervals right from the time I was handed over to him, he assaulted me by beating and slapping me. I begged him to allow me to conclude my statement. After that, I handed it to him and he compelled me to read to his hearing all that I had written.
“He rejected my statement, brought a new Statement paper, and ordered me to write an entirely new Statement, which he must dictate to me. I was not only shocked by this development but also faced a series of life, and physical threats from Officer Promise for objecting.
“His threats and anger continued to heighten and his colleague, who was standing behind me, corked his gun, threatening to shoot me. At one point, another officer came with a machete, threatening to cut my back if I did not comply and write whatever Officer Promise asked me to write.
“Officer Promise then dictated; thus, “That I and my gang of Kidnappers and Assassins had been trailing the convoy of the Honourable Special Assistant to the Governor on Security and Special Duties, Honourable Chinasa Nwaneri with the bede kidnapping and assassinating him…”
“When I heard the heinous charge and the names he mentioned, I was shocked! I maintained that I had already made a completed honest statement and that there was no need for either an excess or multiplicity of statements.
“He slapped me, and hit my forehead, ranting that I had condemned his Statement Sheet. He later said that he wanted to help me, but that I was rather stubborn.”
Offor said that Officer Promise then brought out their phones from his pocket and demanded passwords. Officer Promise accessed Offor’s phone and dived deep into his privacies.
It was while Offor’s phone was being browsed, and he was sitting somewhere, waiting for Officer Promise to be done, that he noticed a middle-aged woman with two children. The woman later introduced herself as Mrs Ebere. They chatted.
Ebere told him that she was at Tiger Base Police because her 20-year-old younger brother, had been in detention for over two months.
Ebere explained to Offor that she and her relatives had been frantically searching for the boy for a while before they got information that he was at Tiger Base Police.
According to her, the boy was profiled and tagged as a cultist for merely wearing a black cap. He was grabbed along the road. The Police dumped him in a cell and did not bother to alert his family members about his whereabouts.
Ebere would later turn out to be a Good Samaritan for Offor. She collected Offor’s brother’s phone number and alerted him of Offor’s current location.
Meanwhile, Offor’s family was sickened by his sudden disappearance, especially because his phone was unreachable.
Offor stated: “We spent a total of three days in their ‘Custody of Death’ without food or water. My sister brought food on the second and last day; I couldn’t eat it, so I gave it to the electrician and other detainees. I had no appetite. I could not stand the stench of the environment. After my release, I was shocked to find out policemen were using my vehicle for their chase and arrest operations.”
Female Detainee Loses Pregnancy After Police Stomped On Baby Bump, Says Blessing
A former detainee at Force Headquarters, FCT, Abuja, who wishes to be simply identified as Mrs Blessing, said that she was arrested under a Trump-up charge of her and her husband being members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB).
IPOB, a separatist group in the southeast region of Nigeria aims to restore the Republic of Biara, also known as Igbo Nation. A Federal Court in Abuja in 2017, declared IPOB a terrorist organisation leading to law enforcement agencies carrying out arbitrary arrests, illegal detentions, trump-up charges and now generally cashing out with the proscription.
Blessing was one of those arrested over alleged membership with IPOB. She was moved to Abuja, where she met other women in detention, who were also charged with being IPOB members or lovers of IPOB members.
The women soon started swapping stories of their arrest and sojourn in detention facilities.
Blessing recounted: “I didn’t pass through Tiger Base Police, but I was detained in Abuja with other women who passed through there. All these women were arrested under the guise that they were Biafra women or because of their husbands’ alleged Biafra activities.
“When they started sharing their experiences of Tiger Base Police, I was horrified. Tiger Base is a Horror Base! One of our cellmates is called Melody. She was arrested and tagged as the girlfriend of an IPOB member. She was arrested with her father, who was in his 60’s.
“Melody’s father was shot to death inside Tiger Base, while Melody lost her four-month pregnancy after the police stomped on her stomach during torture. She started bleeding and her pregnancy was aborted. Another case is about one Pastor Chinedu, who was arrested at Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He was arrested in lieu: the Police were looking for his nephew and when they could not get him, they grabbed Pastor Chinedu.
“Pastor Chinedu started conducting morning devotion and prayer sessions with the detainees. He became well known. One night, the Police came to call him, and immediately other detainees started weeping because they knew they would never see him again and that was what happened. We heard his children have dropped out of school.”
Note: Some detainees who spoke with the reporter requested their real names should not be used to avoid being rearrested or targeted by Tiger Base Police Personnel.
This Report Was Supported By the Rule Of Law And Accountability Advocacy Centre As Part Of Its Interventions In Southeast Insecurity and Its Impact On Human Rights, Civic Space And Development.
The Police Service Commission today, Monday, March 17th, 2025, approved the promotion of 66 senior Police Officers.
The Commission approved the promotion of 20 Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Assistant Inspectors General of Police. It also considered and approved the promotion of 19 Deputy Commissioners to the substantive rank of Commissioners of Police.
Thirteen Superintendents of Police and 14 Deputy Superintendents were also elevated to the next ranks.
The new Assistant Inspectors General of Police are; Fasuba Akinyele Olabode, CP Special Fraud Unit, Force Headquarters; Musibau Omolabi Ajani, CP Admin, FCID; Aliyu Abubakar Musa, CP Katsina State Command; Patrick Adedeji Atayero, former CP Explosive Ordinance Disposal EOD; Force Headquarters, CP Anti Fraud section FCID, Director of Sports Nigeria Police Force and Deputy Commissioner Finance and Administration Force Headquarters; Gyogon Augustine Grimah, CP Cross Rivers State Command and Olaiya Victor Mobolaji, CP Kwara State Command. Others are Chukwudi Chris Ariekpere, CP Taraba State Command and Commandant Police College Oji River; Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, CP Fom, Force Headquarters; Olalolu Adebowale Adegbite, CP Interpol FCID; Godwin Iguh Eze, CP SEB, FCID Annex Lagos; and Disu Olatunji Rilwan, CP Federal Capital Territory.
The Commission also promoted to the rank of AIG, Alausa Hakeem Tolani, CP Admin PAB, Force Headquarters; Kareem Musa; CP Interpol Annex, Lagos; Mohammed Shehu Dalijan; CP Zamfara state Command; Dan-Mamman Shawulu; CP Niger State Command; Clement Robert; CP SERVICOM R&PForce Headquarters; Musa Auwal Mohammed; CP Bauchi State Command; Thomas Abraham Nabhoni; Office of the National Security Adviser; CP Abel Jangnap Miri Zwalchir ICT. Force Headquarters and CP Ifeanyi Uka, Cp Works, Force Headquarters, former Head of Projects and Equipment at the Nigeria Police Trust Fund; AGM Project and later Ag. MD/CEO of the Nigeria Police Force Property Development and Construction Company limited.
The Nineteen Deputy Commissioners of Police promoted to the next rank of Commissioners of Police are; Usman Tahir, DCP R&P Force Headquarters, Sunday J.A. Okoebor; DCP Admin and Finance Force Headquarters; Ayodeji Faniyan; DCP Zonal CID, Zone 5, Benin; Saka Adewale Ajao; DCP Zonal CID, Zone 2, Lagos; Omole Ola, DCP PSFU, Lagos and Hope Urunwa Okafor, Deputy Force Provost, Force Headquarters, former Deputy Commissioner Administration, Osun State, Area Commander, K, Morogbo, Badagri and ACP Admin, Plateau State Command.
Others are; Ajo Geofrey Ordue; DCP DFA, Zone 17 Akure; Olufunke Adeayo; DC Pensions Force Headquarters; Ogunbode; Stephen Olubunmi Ogedengbe; DCP X squad, FCID Force Headquarters; Iyabode Oluwatoyin Agbaminoja; DCP SCID, Oyo State Command; Adebowale Lawal; DCP State CID, Enugu State Command; Ojo Adekimi DCP Operations Kwara state Command, and Yemi John Oyeniyi, DCP DFA, Ondo state Command.
The Commission also approved the promotion of Obasi Mary Okereke; DCP Disaster Management Ops Force Headquarters; Moses Ashu Ottah; DCP Ops Eastern Ports, Port Harcourt; Felix Akoneme Nnebue; DCP ZCID Zone 16 Yenagoa; Gazali Alade Abdul-Salaam; DCP CID, Railway Command Lagos; Fidelis Ndubuisi Ogarabe; DCP Administration, Anambra state Command; DCP, State CID, Enugu, DCP General Investigation, FCID and former Chief Security officer to two Governors of Enugu State; and Olubode Ojajuni; DCP State CID, Ogun state Command; Principal Officer 3 to former IGP Ibrahim Idris, Former Area Commander Area A, Lion Building lagos and former Lagos State Command PRO.
The Commission also approved the promotion of 13 Superintendents of Police to the next rank of Chief Superintendents and 14 Deputy Superintendents to Superintendents of Police.
According to Ikechukwu Ani, the Commission’s spokesman, all the Officers appeared before the Commission on Plenary and were subjected to examination and interactive interview. Commission Chairman, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd mni, presided over the exercise and was supported by DIG Taiwo Lakanu rtd, fdc, Honourable Commissioner representing the Police in the Commission and Chief Onyemuche Nnamani, Secretary to the Commission.
Federal Govt investigating Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s unauthorised attendance at IPU meeting
The Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are investigating Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, for attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York without official nomination.
Premium Times reports that the investigation aims to uncover the details surrounding her unapproved participation, including how she secured accreditation and who facilitated her trip, and whether her attendance was part of an effort to undermine the Nigerian government.
The IPU, a global body representing national parliaments, mandates that member countries nominate delegates prior to each meeting.
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan reportedly attended the meeting without such formal authorization.
The joint investigation by the DSS and NIA was reportedly triggered by complaints from the Nigerian Senate. Intelligence agencies are focusing on whether the senator obtained unauthorised credentials or if external parties played a role in facilitating her participation.
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The probe will also examine whether her attendance violated IPU regulations or Nigerian parliamentary protocol.
This development follows a turbulent period for Akpoti-Uduaghan, who recently accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.
The allegation arose after a dispute over seating arrangements in the Senate chamber, which led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension for alleged “gross misconduct.”
During her speech at the IPU meeting on March 11, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that her suspension was retaliatory and intended to silence her over the harassment claim. In response, the IPU stated it would look into her concerns and hear both sides of the issue.
The Nigerian Senate, however, refuted the claim through Kafilat Ogbara, a member of the House of Representatives and chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development.
Ogbara, who was representing Nigeria at the IPU meeting in New York, clarified that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension had nothing to do with her allegations against the Senate president.
The former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has defected to the All Progressives Congress.
Jandor made the announcement on Monday during a press conference at his office in Ikeja, Lagos, weeks after resigning from the PDP.
Jandor cited internal crises and lack of party discipline within the PDP as the primary reasons for his departure, expressing disappointment in the party’s inability to address anti-party activities during the 2023 general elections.
He said, “Our story in the PDP was a case of working with perennial political saboteurs but we have resolved to love our future much more than we hate our past.
“After extensive consultations with family, political associates, elder statesmen, supporters, and well-meaning Lagosians who share our vision for a greater and more prosperous Lagos, and in identifying that the primary reason a political party exists is to win elections and ultimately form the government to contribute to the welfare, security and total development of the people, we wish to formally announce that we have decided to join a political party that considers winning for its members as top priority, not minding who is on the ballot.
“We have decided to return to the All Progressives Congress.”
Jandor revealed that he consulted widely with political associates, supporters, and leaders across various parties, including the Social Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, and Young Progressive Party, before deciding to return to the APC.
Addressing concerns about his earlier exit from the ruling party, he likened his experience to a Yoruba adage about learning from different situations.
“Before you are quick to remind me of the reasons upon which we left APC in the first place, let me respond with a popular Yoruba adage that says if a woman has not tried two husbands, she probably would not know which is better.
“In APC, we have a leader, even if you fault his selection choices, you can’t fault his desire to always win for his party to the benefit of all members, followers and the state.
“While in Lagos PDP, you have a leader that will, at every election cycle work against his own party, and willfully dash the hopes of many party members and followers. We have chosen the better alternative,” he stated.
He added, “Our return to the APC is not a decision made lightly. It is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to the progress of Lagos State and our belief that unity among progressives is essential to achieving the collective aspirations of our people.”
He acknowledged the efforts of President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, in persuading him to rejoin the APC.
Jandor stated, “Let me once again extend our sincere gratitude to the President and the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who recognized our modest contributions to democracy and nation building.
“I must also recognize the relentless efforts of the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, who has been on our case for over one year to return ‘home’, and join hands with Mr. President.
“Upon hearing the news of my resignation from the PDP, the President’s son, Mr. Seyi Tinubu immediately put a call across to say “Egbon, this is the time to come back home.” Prior to that time, Seyi had exhibited the learnings he has had from the best and reached out, asking for support for the administration of his father, the President. What more can a father ask for.”
Jandor assured his supporters that the move was in Lagos’ best interest and urged them to join him in the new political chapter.
“We remain committed to the values of service, integrity, and progress. Together, we will continue to champion the cause of a better Lagos for present and future generations,” he said.
were being called because of documentation issues, but they will never return! The cells are tight. Mere touching of detainees there, you will contract infection. I contracted an infection there. This is 2025 and I am still treating myself for the infection I got there.”
