The Coalition Against Police Tiger Base Impunity, CAPTI, has declined an invitation from the Nigeria Police Force to attend a meeting scheduled for Monday, January 12, 2026, citing short notice and concerns about inclusiveness, logistics, and victims’ participation.

The invitation, issued by the Police Monitoring Unit at Force Headquarters, Abuja, followed a petition submitted by CAPTI over alleged human rights violations at the Tiger Base Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Imo State. The police letter stated that the petition had been reviewed and that investigation had commenced, inviting CAPTI representatives for an interview alongside victims or their relatives.

In a formal response signed by Sanyaolu Juwon, National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement and Coordinator of CAPTI, Sanyaolu acknowledged receipt of the police invitation and welcomed it as “an indication of institutional willingness to engage civil society on matters of public concern.”
“We appreciate the promptness of your response and note it as an indication of institutional willingness to engage with civil society on matters of public concern,” CAPTI stated. However, the coalition explained that it was unable to honour the invitation as scheduled due to “a number of practical and substantive constraints.”

CAPTI noted that the notice for the meeting was extremely short, making it difficult to adequately prepare, consult internally, and mobilise relevant stakeholders for what it described as a “meaningful engagement.”

The group also pointed out that its secretariat is based in Lagos State, and attending a physical meeting in Abuja on short notice would require air travel and logistics that were not factored into the invitation and are beyond its immediate operational capacity.

More importantly, CAPTI stressed that many of the victims, and relatives of victims, involved in the case are based in Imo State, including individuals currently detained at the Owerri Correctional Centre, “Any engagement that does not reasonably accommodate the presence, representation, or input of these victims (or their relatives) risks excluding the very persons most affected by the issues under discussion,” the coalition said. CAPTI added that facilitating victims’ participation would require additional planning, coordination, and sufficient notice.

The coalition emphasized that engagements of this nature are more productive when they are properly planned, inclusive, and structured to allow for the presentation of evidence, victim testimonies, and clear accountability frameworks.
“We therefore respectfully propose that a more mutually convenient date be considered, with sufficient notice, and that modalities be discussed to ensure the effective participation of victims and civil society observers,” CAPTI stated.

Despite declining the scheduled meeting, CAPTI reaffirmed its openness to dialogue with the police, stressing that such engagement must be conducted in good faith and with regard to realities on the ground.
“We remain open to dialogue and cooperation, provided it is conducted in good faith and with due regard to the realities on ground,” the statement read.

CAPTI also thanked the Nigeria Police Force for opening a channel of communication and reiterated its commitment to pursuing justice, accountability, and institutional reform through lawful and peaceful means.

The police invitation comes amid mounting allegations against Tiger Base following the launch of the #TigerBaseMustFall campaign by CAPTI.

In a public statement released on December 26, 2025, CAPTI made it known that the Anti-Kidnapping Unit responded to the increased public scrutiny with mass arrests, alleged retaliation, hostage-taking, and enforced disappearances.

According to the group, at least 41 people were remanded at the Owerri Correctional Centre between December 10 and December 23, 2025, shortly after CAPTI launched its campaign and released a report documenting over 200 deaths in Tiger Base custody.

CAPTI described the police response as “escalation and cover-up” rather than accountability, “This is retaliation masquerading as law enforcement,” Sanyaolu said. “Within days of our report launch, Tiger Base dramatically tried to cover up its atrocities by decongesting its terror cells.”

Records cited by the organisation show that 19 people were remanded on December 10, 17 on December 16, four on December 18, and one on December 23, an average of nearly three people per day over a two-week period.

“The timing is not coincidental,” Sanyaolu said. “For years, Tiger Base held people for months or years without charge. Suddenly, they are rushing dozens of people through magistrate courts to create the appearance of due process.”

CAPTI described as “particularly damning” the sudden arraignment of seven women who had been detained for between one and two years without trial. The women were arraigned on December 16, 2025, one day after the release of CAPTI’s report.

Among them is Nkechinyere Ogu, who was arrested in October 2023 after visiting Tiger Base to secure bail for relatives. CAPTI said she paid ₦950,000 for her release but has remained in detention for over two years without trial.
Another woman, Chinenye Obi, was reportedly arrested alongside her one-year-nine-month-old son over allegations against her husband. CAPTI alleged that she was tortured, while her child was taken to an unknown location and has remained missing for more than two years.

The organisation also raised alarm over the alleged enforced disappearance of children separated from detained mothers. At least five children, including a two-month-old infant, were reportedly taken from their mothers and moved to undisclosed locations.
“The separation of infants and young children from their mothers, with no information provided about their whereabouts, constitutes enforced disappearance of minors,” Sanyaolu said.

CAPTI further alleged additional extrajudicial killings, including the killing of Ifeanyi Anayo, Kingsley Sunday, and Chibuikem Maduka in February 2025. A pregnant woman and two children arrested alongside them were said to remain unaccounted for.

The group accused Tiger Base of routinely arresting wives, mothers, and children of suspects as leverage, and of hiding long-term detainees during oversight visits by lawyers, journalists, and human rights monitors. CAPTI said the alleged practices violate the Nigerian Constitution, the Anti-Torture Act, the Police Act, the Child Rights Act, and international human rights treaties ratified by Nigeria.

The organisation called for the suspension of implicated officers, an independent investigation into alleged killings, the production of missing children, and a comprehensive review of all Tiger Base cases.

Despite the growing outcry, CAPTI noted that Tiger Base continues to operate under the same leadership, “Tiger Base’s response to our campaign proves our point,” Sanyaolu said. “This is not a police unit; it is a criminal enterprise operating under state authority. It must be shut down.”

CAPTI said it has submitted documentation to several United Nations bodies, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and is providing legal and psychosocial support to affected families, “Tiger Base must fall. The children must be found. The killings must stop. Justice must be served,” the statement concluded.