Owerri, Nigeria — A prominent human rights advocate has issued a public alert claiming he faces elimination threats following his role in exposing alleged atrocities by a controversial police unit in southeastern Nigeria.
Chinedu Agu, a vocal critic of the Tigerbase Unit of the Imo State Police Command, disclosed on December 27 that he received credible intelligence indicating elements associated with the unit have marked him for elimination due to his continued advocacy work.
The announcement comes weeks after Agu participated in the public launch of a damning report titled “The Tigerbase File: Systematic Torture, Extra-Judicial Killings, Enforced Disappearances and the Collapse of Police Accountability in Imo State, Nigeria.” The December 15 event in Abuja, organized by the Coalition Against Police Tigerbase Impunity (CAPTI), featured Agu alongside activist Omoyele Sowore.
According to the CAPTI report, over 200 unlawful deaths have been attributed to the Tigerbase Unit within the last five years. The findings document allegations of systematic torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances. In the days following the report’s launch, the unit has reportedly come under intense scrutiny, leading to hurried arraignments of detainees and their transfer to custodial facilities, moves observers suggest are aimed at managing mounting public exposure.
Agu had previously published a satirical poem in Pidgin English on December 10 titled “Tigerbase or Tiger Crase,” employing sharp imagery to highlight the allegations against the unit. His speech at the report launch subsequently went viral on social media. The advocate cited the recent experience of journalist Chinonso Uba, known as Nonso Nkwa, who also raised concerns about threats to his safety arising from investigative work exposing the same unit. Agu stated that this pattern of intimidation appears to be targeting those who have participated in exposing institutional abuses.
In his statement, Agu invoked an Igbo proverb, noting that only a tree remains standing when threatened with cutting down. He emphasized that given the unit’s documented institutional record, he cannot treat the threat as routine intimidation.
The human rights defender has called on the Nigeria Police Force, the Imo State Government, and relevant security authorities to be held accountable for his safety and that of his family. He also appealed to international human rights organizations, diplomatic missions, the National Human Rights Commission, and numerous civil society groups to take urgent cognizance and insist on accountability. “Threats do not erase evidence. Silence does not bury truth. History does not forget,” Agu stated in his public alert, affirming his continued commitment to justice, accountability, and the defense of human dignity.
As of press time, neither the Nigeria Police Force nor the Imo State Government had issued official responses to Agu’s allegations.
