Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, has instituted four fundamental rights enforcement suits against the anti-kidnapping unit of the Imo State Police Command, popularly known as Tiger Base, over allegations of torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance of children, forced labour, extortion and extrajudicial killings.
The cases, filed before the Imo State High Court in Owerri on July 21, 2026, involve eight victims and are scheduled for hearing on August 5, 2026.
According to court documents, the suits name the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, ACP Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa, and several officers attached to the unit as respondents.
One of the suits alleges that several women were arrested over accusations linked to their husbands’ alleged activities and subsequently detained for prolonged periods.
The applicants claim they were subjected to forced labour, including cooking, cleaning and construction-related tasks, while some were separated from their young children, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Another suit alleges that a nursing mother was separated from her infant after arrest and subjected to physical assault, coercion and unlawful withdrawal of money from her bank account.
According to the specific declarations and reliefs sought in Suit No: HOW/475/2026, the applicants are asking the court for: “A Declaration that the removal of Onyebuchi Anyanwu’s children – Peculiar Anyanwu [5 years], Ihuoma Anyanwu [8 years] and Onyinyechi Anyanwu [3 years] – and the removal of Chinenye Obi’s infant son of
