An unreleased report raises serious questions about Awkuzu custodial deaths
By Okechukwu Nwanguma
A document I obtained informally – described as an interim investigation report into the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) / Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Awkuzu – is raising difficult questions about policing, accountability, and custodial deaths in Nigeria.
The report has not yet been officially released to the public by the Nigeria Police Force, even though it was reportedly intended for public release. The document offers a revealing glimpse into the internal findings of investigators examining allegations against officers associated with the rogue unit historically known as Awkuzu SARS.
Even as an interim report, the document dispels some allegations circulating in the public sphere, while simultaneously revealing serious operational failures and troubling institutional gaps that demand deeper scrutiny.
It must be emphasized, however, that the report’s claim that investigators found no evidence of organ harvesting cannot be treated as conclusive. The bodies of the deceased detainees have not been subjected to independent forensic examinations. Without such scientific investigation, the possibility cannot be definitively ruled out.
The Limits of an Interim Investigation
The document describes itself as an interim investigation report, meaning it is not intended to reach final conclusions about guilt or innocence. Instead, it outlines preliminary findings, identifies areas requiring further inquiry, and proposes institutional recommendations.
But even within those limits, the report paints a picture of significant weaknesses in oversight, record keeping, and operational discipline within the unit.
Those weaknesses matter because of what the report confirms next.
Eleven Deaths in Custody
Perhaps the most disturbing fact contained in the document is that 11 suspects reportedly died in custody between March and December 2022 while detained by the Awkuzu unit.
The report classifies these deaths simply as “Sudden and Unnatural Deaths.” Yet it offers little detail about what actually caused them.
There is no clear reference to autopsy findings, no discussion of forensic examinations, and no indication that coroner’s inquests were conducted to determine the precise causes of death.
In any lawful detention system, custodial deaths should automatically trigger independent investigation. When individuals die while under the direct control of state authorities, the burden falls squarely on the state to explain what happened.
Eleven deaths in one facility within nine months is therefore not a routine administrative statistic. It is a red flag that warrants serious independent scrutiny.
Command Responsibility and Operational Failures
At the center of the report’s findings is CSP Patrick Agbazue, who served as Officer-in-Charge of the Awkuzu RRS / Anti-Kidnapping Unit during the relevant period.
In that role, he was responsible for supervising arrest operations, detention procedures, evidence handling, and the conduct of officers under his command. Under policing principles recognized internationally, such responsibilities carry command accountability when operational failures occur.
One example highlighted in the report involves the arrest of a suspect, Chibuike Ekweme. According to the document, the suspect’s mobile phones were handed to a civilian corps member, Nnamdi Daniel Emeh, for analysis.
This decision raises significant procedural concerns. Digital evidence in criminal investigations is typically handled by trained investigators or certified forensic specialists within controlled forensic environments.
The report states that Emeh allegedly hacked the phone and transferred ₦36 million from the suspect’s account, later absconding with ₦4 million.
Even if the commanding officer had no direct involvement in the alleged fraud, allowing a civilian access to sensitive digital evidence represents a serious breakdown in investigative protocol. It reflects a lapse in judgment that created the conditions under which the alleged misconduct could occur.
Significantly, Agbazue has since been promoted to the next rank and is reportedly currently serving elsewhere in the Southeast.
The Disappearance of Basic Records
Another troubling revelation in the report concerns documentation – or rather, the absence of it.
Investigators reportedly found a complete absence of mandatory police registers, including custody records, crime diaries, exhibit registers, and prisoner lock-up logs.
These records are not bureaucratic formalities. They are fundamental accountability tools in any detention facility. They document when suspects are arrested, how long they are detained, what interrogations occur, and how evidence is handled. Without them, reconstructing events becomes nearly impossible.
Their absence suggests either severe administrative disorder or a deeper structural failure in oversight and discipline. The report is also emphatic about the absence of effective oversight by the then Commissioner of Police in Anambra State.
Officers Named, but Not Proven Guilty
The report also addresses allegations against officers whose names circulated widely in public discussions.
In the case of SP Nkeiruka Nwode, the investigation reportedly found no evidence linking her to organ harvesting, murder, financial crimes, or extrajudicial killings. Her involvement appears limited to participating in arrests connected to the fraud investigation surrounding the civilian corps member.
These findings underscore an important point: allegations circulating through social media often move faster than the evidence available to investigators.
A Larger Institutional Problem
Perhaps the most significant takeaway from the document is not about individual officers but about institutional weakness.
The report points to multiple structural failures, including:
– inadequate supervisory oversight
– the collapse of routine documentation systems
– complaints of high-handed conduct
– allegations of extrajudicial practices
Even if some of the most dramatic allegations ultimately prove unfounded, the pattern revealed in the document suggests the risk of systemic abuse within poorly monitored detention environments.
The Question That Remains
Ultimately, the most serious issue remains unresolved: the 11 custodial deaths.
Even without direct proof of murder or torture, such a pattern raises urgent questions about detention conditions, interrogation methods, and the safeguards designed to protect detainees.
Those questions cannot be answered through an internal interim report alone – especially one that has not yet been formally released by the police.
Until the report is officially published and subjected to public scrutiny, its findings remain incomplete pieces of a much larger puzzle.
Transparency Is the Only Way Forward
If the document circulating privately is indeed authentic, then the next step should be clear. The Nigeria Police Force should formally release the report, clarify its findings, and outline what further investigations – if any – will follow.
Transparency does not weaken institutions. In cases involving custodial deaths, it is the only path to restoring public trust.
Because in matters involving life, liberty, and the power of the state, the public deserves not just answers – but credible ones.
Nwanguma, the executive director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), writes from Lagos
