Human rights lawyer and activist, Chinedu Agu, has raised serious concerns about his safety, alleging that operatives linked to the Tiger Base police unit in Imo State have marked him for elimination over his outspoken criticism of their activities.
Agu was first arrested in September 2025 after the Imo State government petitioned the police, accusing him of making inciting social media posts. The lawyer had repeatedly criticised Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration and the Tiger Base unit, which he described as a centre of unchecked brutality and grave human rights abuses.
Tiger Base, officially known as the Imo State Anti-Kidnapping Unit, has been accused by rights groups, including Amnesty International, of illegal detention, torture, extortion and extrajudicial killings, with reports alleging that more than 200 detainees have died in its custody over the years. The police and the state government have consistently denied these claims, insisting the unit is a lawful tactical formation created to combat kidnapping and armed robbery.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Agu said he had received credible intelligence suggesting that elements associated with Tiger Base were unhappy with his continued advocacy and had allegedly resolved to silence him.
He explained that in recent weeks he had openly challenged what he called the unit’s “well-documented atrocities.” On December 10, 2025, he published a satirical poem in Pidgin English titled “Tigerbase or Tiger Crase,” highlighting allegations of torture, killings and institutional lawlessness linked to the unit. The poem, he said, remains available on his Facebook page.
Agu further revealed that on December 15, 2025, he participated in the public launch of a report titled “The Tigerbase File: Systematic Torture, Extra-Judicial Killings, Enforced Disappearances and the Collapse of Police Accountability in Imo State, Nigeria.” The event, organised by the Coalition Against Police Tigerbase Impunity (CAPTI) and held in Abuja, featured activist Omoyele Sowore and attracted wide public attention after Agu’s speech went viral.
He said he had earlier read a public alert by investigative journalist Chinonso Uba, popularly known as Nonso Nkwa, who also raised concerns about threats to his life after exposing alleged abuses by the same unit. Agu noted that he initially saw the warning as another example of the dangers faced by civic activists, but now believes a disturbing pattern of intimidation is emerging.
According to Agu, the intelligence he received on December 26, 2025, forced him to take the threat seriously, given what he described as Tiger Base’s long record of contempt for human life. He cited CAPTI’s report, which documents over 200 unlawful deaths allegedly linked to the unit in the last five years.
Drawing from Igbo proverbs, Agu said speaking out was necessary to ensure his situation was publicly documented. He warned that his life, and that of his family, was now at risk and held the Nigeria Police Force, the Imo State Government and all relevant security agencies responsible for his safety.
He also called on international human rights organisations, diplomatic missions, the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society groups, media freedom advocates and global watchdogs to urgently take note of his situation, maintain protective attention and demand accountability.
