Police Brutality: ‘Tiger Base Operatives Nearly Killed Me, My Kids’ – Imo Nursing Mother Recounts Ordeal

A nursing mother, identified as Mrs. Ogechi Eze, an Indigene of Ikeduru LGA of Imo State has revealed how police officers attached to the tiger base unit of Imo Command nearly took her life, including her little children.

According to her; over five police officers broke into their family house in the night to arrest her husband, unfortunately the husband was not around at the moment, the officers who came with a compliant started brutalizing them on interrogation to reveal where her husband can be found.

Narrating the ugly scene, the breastfeeding young- mother further alleged that when she demanded to see the arrest warrant from the officers who came in the night, to figure out if truly they were ‘Hired assassins’ or policemen, she received a heavy slap, with blow in her eyes by the strange looking police officers.

She revealed that the police officers dragged her inside house the to prevent her neighbors from knowing what she was passing through.

Speaking in Igbo language, the victim alleged that both her little daughter and other children were assaulted, including his first son who brought out a phone to video the police officers during that period.

“I was nearly Killed, It took me hours to recover when One of the officers held me on my neck that I could not breath, the other officer was hitting his gun on my body. As you can see, it is still showing.

“I was in the floor already battling, because they brushed me down. If not the stick I hitted the other officer who was holding me on my neck and he left me, I would have been a dead person by now.” The nursing mother said.

Confirming the news, ASP Henry Okoye, the public relations officer of Imo State Police command in a release made available to Impartial Observers on Thursday, 14 March, stated that the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma has ordered immediate arrest of operatives, tasks X- Squad disciplinary unit to carry-out investigation.

Okoye said that further developments on this case will be communicated to the general public in due course.

The police statement read in full;
“ALLEGED ASSAULT ON A NURSING MOTHER AND HER CHILDREN BY OPERATIVES OF ANTI-KIDNAPPING UNIT, OWERRI (TIGER-BASE),: IMO CP ORDERS IMMEDIATE ARREST OF OPERATIVES, TASKS X-SQUAD, DISCIPLINARY UNITS TO CARRY OUT COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION.*

“The Imo State Police Command is not unaware of a video making the rounds on social media, in which a nursing mother who identified herself as Mrs. Ogechi Eze, alleged that she and her children were assaulted by operatives of the Command’s Anti kidnapping unit, (Tiger Base) as their operational call-sign and is currently carrying out a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the remote facts of the case.

“Accordingly, the Commissioner of Police Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma has ordered the immediate arrest and detention of the alleged officers and tasked the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command’s X-Squad and Provost to ensure that the alleged officers are sanctioned in accordance with the Force’s extant laws if found culpable.

“The Command, therefore, encourages Mrs Ogechi to report at the Police Public Relations Department, Command Headquarters, Owerri, to assist in identifying the officers in the ongoing investigation.

“The Commissioner of Police Imo State Command reaffirms that the Command under his watch will never condone any form of unprofessionalism, arrest by proxy, assault, or incivility to members of the Public by its personnel and will not hesitate to take appropriate disciplinary actions against any recalcitrant officer infringing on the fundamental human rights citizens whom we have the constitutional mandate to serve and protect.

“Further developments on this case will be communicated to the general public in due course.”

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