Saturday Southerner
Another View

Nigeria may possibly be the only country in the world where its security agents treat fellow citizens like beasts. There is no respect for human life, no value for the wretched in Nigeria. Is it a crime to be in the poor books in Nigeria?

To the Police, DSS, Military and other law enforcement agencies, ordinary Nigerian life does not matter. To them, the poor are no different from animals that do not deserve to live.

The Federal and State Governments are not in anyway interested in the protection of citizens from military jackboots, police brutality, meting out degrading treatment, extortion and killing of citizens for no just reason other than being poor.

Nigerians are arrested without any proof of having committed a crime. They are sometimes not arraigned in court and, if arraigned, they are taken to a kangaroo court and compelled to plead guilty to a crime they have no knowledge of.

In Nigeria, it is a crime to be poor and, a worst crime to be poor without any connections with the mighty for defence or protection from the oppressors in power.

Many innocent Nigerians, especially the youths because of their dressing, hairstyles, body tattoos, holding expensive phones, laptops have been framed up and hauled into different detention centres in the country. They were picked up along the roads, in their houses, markets, shops, worship places and dragged away by our security agencies with no proof or evidence of crime or terrorism.

In several detention facilities owned by the Military, Police, DSS, NSCDC, innocent young Nigerians are incarcerated, tortured, families extorted, and some die or get killed in the process.

Sometimes, one wonders if our men in uniform are human beings with blood flowing in their veins. Nigeria’s security agents unleash so much cruelty on fellow citizens that can’t be described. They act with no conscience, no humanity in the manner they treat fellow human beings in their custody.

What would make a normal human being descend on his fellow citizen with so much venom, that the victim would be gasping for breathe yet they are left to bleed to death?

Why would normal human beings chain their fellow beings legs and hands, beat them with cables, wood, iron objects, pour urine on them, use lighter on the male detainees’ manhood, and other inhuman treatments all in the name of interrogation?

In Enugu, October 17, 2026 to be precise, during a press conference organized by the South East Human Rights Bureau, SEHRB in conjunction with Oganihu Igbo Development Foundation, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), there were unbelievable harrowing testimonies presented by victims and family members of Police, DSS and Military brutality.

The testimonies revealed methods of arrests made by the security agents in people’s homes, workplaces, worship centres, streets, relatives arrested in lieu of persons being sought for.

There were cases of the arrested taken to DSS office in Owerri and the now notorious Tiger Base in Owerri, Imo State, which the state governor, Hope Uzodimma appears to be backing for their brutality on the residents.

Gov. Uzodimma has failed to listen to the wailings of the people on the brutality of the men in uniform against them. He has done nothing against the mournful stories of torture, extortion and killings in Tiger Base.

There are complaints of detainees who died in detention as a result of torture they received from the security agents, others yet disappeared after arrest with no trace. How can a country’s leaders not demand for the whereabouts of their citizens? What manner of Commander-in-Chief or Chief Security Officers are these persons?

Mary lives in Owerri and was walking along the road when she was stopped by a team of Police officers. She was whisked away and dropped at Tiger Base and she was not allowed to contact any member of her family.

Of course, the family and friends searched everywhere in Owerri and beyond for her. Days turned to weeks, and then into months. Mary spent nine months at Tiger Base in Owerri before her family got the wind that she was being detained there.

But, she had already gone through thorns and thickets while in Tiger Base, an experience that might shorten her life span.
She was accused of being an IPOB sympathizer and member.

While in detention she was severally beaten, slapped, punched, starved, made to sleep on the bare floor, and twice she was almost raped by the security agents.

The family paid heavily to secure her release from the illegal detention. She has not fully recovered as she’s still going to one hospital or the other because of neck, chest pains and others.

Ngozi was arrested in 2021 for daring to provide financial assistance, drugs and foods to End SARS victims who sustained various degrees of injuries and bullet wounds during the protest of Nigerian Youths against Police brutality in 2020.

She was detained for months in Lagos, transferred to DSS Abuja office before she was eventually moved to Wawa military barracks in Niger state where she was held for years.

Ngozi was severely tortured and beaten, starved, denied any medication. She wore one clothe and undies for three years and some months before family and friends coughed out millions to pay for her freedom from Wawa military barracks in Niger state.

Nnanna, not real name, was arrested by Navy officials somewhere around Lokoja in Kogi state with his friends on their way from Abuja to witness the trial of the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kalu. How that became a crime cannot be explained.

They were thoroughly searched; vehicle, phones included. There were no incriminating evidences and were set free to continue their journey by the officers who conducted the search. But one of the officers refused and demanded they be taken to their base for further interrogation.

They arrived at the office and were bombarded with further questions amidst slaps, kicks and other forms of torture. They were handcuffed, legs chained and the assault continued unabated until they were driven to Wawa military barracks in Niger state and labeled terrorists.

Nnanna spent four years in Wawa military barracks and was forcefully made to plead guilty of terrorism. While there, he and other innocent Nigerians brought from other places, especially the South East and Northern parts were subjected to torture and other forms of inhuman treatments.

Nnanna after pleading guilty for terrorism charges cannot visit any embassy or travel to any country in the world because of the terrorism tag he now wears.

Nnanna and some others after pleading guilty, were hurriedly sentenced and freed but were moved to Gombe state for rehabilitation at the International Organization for Migration, IOM facility.

According to his story in the middle of tears, it was at the IOM facility he saw human beings since their arrest and detention. At the IOM office, they were cordially received, listened to and sympathized with. The IOM helped in reaching out to their families and fastened their freedom.

Ozioma was intercepted by some security operatives in the early hours of 28 of March, 2021, at Omeife, Onitsha. She was bundled into a waiting van and driven off to an unknown destination.

There was no communication between her and any member of her family. The security agents who arrested her didn’t for once call any of her relatives.

After about some weeks she was taken out of Onitsha to Wawa military barracks in Niger state. After years of fruitless search for her, the family concluded she may have died.

On June 17, 2026, the family received a call from a lawyer revealing to them that, Ozioma is alive but in detention at Wawa military barracks for terrorism related charges.

According to the younger sister who narrated the story at the conference, Ozioma is naturally a fragile person, easy going and hardly can engage in a long conversation with anyone. “I still wonder how my sister who was returning from a night vigil could be accused of terrorism?”

Hundreds of Nigerian citizens are classified missing for years without their family members finding them. The law of the land is clear on how suspects should be handled but unfortunately, the reverse is the case. Nigerian security agencies assume the position of the accuser, investigator, prosecutor and judge of suspects at the same time.

In 2020, Nigerian Youths mobilized, sensitized and organized a peaceful protest against Police brutality popularly referred to as End SARS. Several Nigerian cities were occupied for days calling the Nigerian authorities to end the existence of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Police.

Rather than Nigeria’s Presidency, NASS, Police and other heads of Security Agencies to take a decisive action by addressing the issues the youths presented, they were attacked, brutalized and killed. Some may still be detained till date if we understand how our security agencies operate.

Many Igbo families are still searching for their husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. Several of these persons were arrested or bundled by either the military, police or DSS, taken to a secret dungeon, brutalized, denied of any medication, and forced to plead to be members of IPOB thereby tagging them terrorists. Some die or get killed by the security agents.

The number of Igbo youths missing since the declaration of Operation Python Dance in the South East by the military is unprecedented. Every young Igbo adult is tagged an IPOB member and taken away, tortured, and the family later forced to pay millions of naira for their rescue or they may never be sighted again.

It is similar story from the North. When the insurgents visit a community, cause havoc and leave wailings, pains, burnt homes, property and blood as evidences of their successful operation, the Nigerian security agents arrive to only arrest innocent members of the community, especially the young men and women and, label them terrorists, bandits insurgents, Boko Haramists.

They are moved to Wawa military barracks and other detention facilities for further interrogation. Some have spent years in Wawa detention facility with no family member knowing where they are hence they assume they are dead.

Nigeria appears to be the only country in the world where her security agencies fail to protect but terminate lives with reckless abandon.

Not long ago in Warri, Delta state, a suspect who was later identified as a musician was handcuffed, legs tied and ublicly executed by a Police officer. The young man was arrested for coming to a motor park to pick a parcel which contained a short gun.

When he was arrested he obliged to give details but the Police failed to further their investigations but rather chose to exterminate the life of the young man.

The Nigerian government has enormous work to do in discouraging the brutality visited on innocent Nigerians by our security forces. Every individual life matters.

The government of Nigeria must declare zero tolerance against brutality of any citizen. In fact, it has to be seen as a crime that attracts severe punishment for any person engaging in brutality of fellow citizens.

The government should establish an independent inquiry to verify the reported cases of torture, missing persons, killings by security agents.

There should be comprehensive audit of all detention facilities across the country, including Tiger Base, Wawa barracks, Panti, and others to aid in identifying persons held illegally in those places.

Establish access to justice that would guarantee prompt the arraignment before a competent court and suspects afforded adequate legal representation.

The government should ensure that security agencies provide medication for detained persons and allow them family access.