The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has raised serious concerns over alleged human rights abuses surrounding the arrest, detention, and reported death of Onuoha Johnbosco at the Imo State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, popularly known as Tiger Base, Owerri.

In a statement released by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC highlighted disturbing questions about torture, coercion, and possible extrajudicial practices following the circulation of a purported “confessional interview” allegedly recorded while Johnbosco was in police custody.

Johnbosco, a printer, was reportedly arrested at his shop in a busy market by officers posing as customers. “He was identified by name and taken away in full public view, without resistance,” Nwanguma said. The family’s efforts to locate him at local police stations and Tiger Base were initially met with denial, contrary to constitutional and statutory safeguards.

RULAAC noted contradictions in official police accounts. While a video suggested arms and ammunition were recovered from Johnbosco’s shop, he was never publicly paraded, and no independent observer or lawyer was present during the recording, rendering the confession legally inadmissible.

The family only learned of his whereabouts after a press statement from the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), who claimed Johnbosco had been involved in a gun battle with police and sustained gunshot injuries. Johnbosco’s sister, Collete, questioned this narrative, asking how someone arrested openly in a market could allegedly engage in a gunfight. The PPRO later admitted to confusing details from another case, raising further concerns about official recklessness.

Additional claims from the Tiger Base Commander suggested that Johnbosco, already wounded, was shot again while attempting to escape by scaling the facility’s fence—a scenario RULAAC described as “implausible” given the heavily fortified nature of the base. The family reportedly viewed a confession video but was denied any access to Johnbosco himself. His current whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

RULAAC linked the case to a troubling pattern at Tiger Base, where detainee deaths are frequently attributed to escape attempts, gun battles, or sudden illness, citing previous cases like Japheth Njoku and Thaddeus Ikechukwu Ojokoh as examples.

“Even if Johnbosco were guilty of any offence, the law is clear. He should have been charged to court. No law authorises the police to torture or execute suspects. The police cannot fight crime by committing crime,” Nwanguma emphasized.

The organisation called for an independent, transparent investigation into Tiger Base, full disclosure regarding Johnbosco’s fate, and accountability for all officers involved. “Justice delayed or denied only deepens public mistrust and perpetuates the cycle of violence,” he warned.