Coroner recommends prosecution of Tiger Base Commander CSP Ola, IPO Inspector Barnabas over Japheth Njoku’s death
An Imo State Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Owerri has recommended the prosecution of Inspector Barnabas and the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit also known as Tiger Base, CSP Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa over alleged extortion, prolonged detention and other conduct linked to the death of Japhet Njoku in police custody.
The recommendation followed the conclusion of a coroner’s inquest into the death of Njoku, who died while detained at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, commonly known as Tiger Base, in Imo State.
In its findings delivered on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the court presided over by Chief Magistrate E. U. Chinaka said evidence before it showed that Njoku had been detained for about six weeks over an allegation of stealing, an offence the court found to be bailable.
The court specifically recommended that the Imo State Ministry of Justice should prosecute Inspector Barnabas and CSP Oladimeji for alleged extortion and corruption, saying their conduct allegedly contributed to the refusal to grant Njoku bail.
The court further recommended the transfer of all officers serving under the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, citing evidence of alleged overcrowding of cells and the extortion of money from suspects in connection with police bail.
According to the court’s findings, Njoku was arrested on March 29, 2025, over an allegation of stealing goods at Alaba Market. The court said evidence indicated that the allegation was not one that warranted prolonged detention without either granting bail or charging the suspect to court.
The court found that Inspector Barnabas had demanded N500,000 as police bail, while a further N300,000 was allegedly demanded for settlement of the complainant, Ugomore Oluchi Obiagwu.
The court said the failure to raise the money allegedly resulted in Njoku remaining in detention for about six weeks.
It further found that the Anti-Kidnapping Unit had, based on the evidence before the court, subjected suspects to conditions that allegedly violated their rights to human dignity, personal liberty, legal representation and bail.
“The Anti Kidnapping Unit have lost total sense of duty as police men and resorted to torture, intimidation and extortion,” the court stated in its findings.
The court also rejected, on the evidence before it, the explanation that Njoku had been kept in custody because he was allegedly a terrorist.
Inspector Barnabas, who testified as a witness during the inquest, told the court that Njoku had been detained for about six weeks over allegations of stealing and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
He said Njoku was not admitted to bail because Oladimeji, during a routine cell inspection, allegedly identified him as a terrorist. Barnabas further claimed that Njoku had confessed to being a terrorist.
However, the court noted that the alleged confession was not produced.
Barnabas also admitted that the purported confession was not recorded in compliance with Section 18(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
The court consequently found that the story that Njoku was a terrorist and had confessed to terrorism was allegedly concocted by Barnabas and Oladimeji to justify his continued detention and alleged extortion.
Another witness, Basil Ekenyere, told the court that the cell where Njoku was detained was extremely small and overcrowded.
Ekenyere said the cell measured roughly the size of three or four ceiling panels but housed more than 45 suspects.
He described the conditions as unbearable and alleged that two or three detainees died on each passing day.
Ekenyere also told the court that he paid N300,000 to settle the complainant and another N650,000 as police bail before he was released, saying he made the payments because he feared for his life.
Njoku’s brother, Uchechukwu Njoku, told the court that the family was prevented from having access to the deceased for a period after his arrest.
He said Njoku repeatedly complained about the condition of the cell, including the severe odour from the toilet and the overcrowding that allegedly forced detainees to remain standing for extended periods.
According to Uchechukwu, his brother had no known ailment before his detention but developed a wound on the left side of his head while in custody.
Although the medical pathologist who conducted the autopsy did not testify before the court, the autopsy report stated the cause of death as meningitis, bronchial pneumonia and hypertensive heart disease.
The court, however, found that the prolonged detention and the conditions in which Njoku was held contributed to the deterioration of his health and ultimately to his death.
“The inhuman condition which the officers kept the deceased broke him and led to his deteriorated health condition that eventually caused his death,” the court found.
Beyond the recommendation for prosecution, the court made several recommendations aimed at reforming detention practices at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
It directed that:
1. Inspector Barnabas and CSP Oladimeji should be prosecuted for alleged extortion and corruption.
2. All officers serving under the Anti-Kidnapping Unit should be transferred.
3. CCTV cameras should be installed in police detention facilities, with a special unit established to monitor their functionality.
4. Police investigators should receive adequate orientation on the provisions of the ACJA and the Police Act relating to detention.
5. The Anti-Kidnapping Unit should bear the full cost of Njoku’s burial.
6. The Imo State Police Command should pay adequate compensation to Njoku’s family for the alleged unlawful detention and its consequences.
7. The Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, should ensure compliance with the recommendations.
The court directed that the recommendations be implemented within three months.
