Owerri, Imo State — November 6, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
The family of Mr. Magnus Ejiogu, a 49-year-old resident of Obudi Agwa in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, has called publicly for a full coroner’s inquest into his death while in the custody of the State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit — often referred to as “Tiger Base.” The call for independent investigation follows conflicting accounts over the circumstances of his death and mounting allegations of custodial misconduct.
On 23 October 2025, Ejiogu was arrested by operatives of the Imo State Police Command and detained at Tiger Base, Owerri, pending arraignment on alleged charges related to terrorism sponsorship. The Police Command later announced that he died on that same day after allegedly falling ill and being transferred to the Police Clinic, Amakohia, and then to the Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Owerri, where a doctor confirmed his death.
Despite the official account, the family contends that Ejiogu was tortured while in detention, and that his remains bear marks consistent with fatal violence rather than natural illness. In a statement signed by the family lawyer, they said:
“We hereby demand that an inquest be opened to determine the true cause of Magnus’s death in custody, where he entered alive and left in a body bag.”
They further asserted that no credible medical record or certified autopsy has been furnished to support the police’s narrative, and that the delay in arraignment was used to justify extended detention and alleged abuse.
The Imo State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, responded to media queries saying the deceased was identified as a major sponsor of the proscribed group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing. He said the police had concluded investigations and were ready to prosecute, but that the defendant fell ill and died before arraignment. He denied claims of torture, extortion or mistreatment.
Human-rights advocates, including the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), have for months documented alleged abuses at Tiger Base, including unlawful detention, torture and extrajudicial killings. The organisation urges immediate closure of the unit pending reform.
The family has petitioned the Imo State Attorney-General and the State Director of Public Prosecutions requesting an autopsy under a coroner’s directive and the release of medical records, detention logs and interrogation transcripts. The petition warns that failure to comply will erode public trust in law-enforcement institutions and contribute to perceptions of impunity.
The case now stands at a crucial juncture: whether judicial authorities will open an independent inquest and demand transparent disclosure of the facts, or whether the matter will remain locked in institutional silence. For Ejiogu’s surviving family and the community of Oguta LGA, the stakes are high — not only for one man’s memory but for the broader question of police accountability in Nigeria.