By Prince Uwalaka Chimaroke
14- DEC- 2025

Amnesty International has announced plans to make public, within the week, a comprehensive report detailing alleged human rights violations at the Tiger Base detention facility in Owerri, the Imo State capital. The organisation said its findings point to what it described as deep-rooted and disturbing practices that raise serious concerns about the conduct of security operations and the protection of fundamental rights.

Speaking on behalf of the organisation, the Country Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, stated that the group’s investigations, carried out over several months, uncovered accounts that suggest a pattern of abuse at the facility. He described the allegations as severe and warned that their implications extend beyond Imo State to Nigeria’s broader human rights reputation.

According to Sanusi, Amnesty International believes that the continued operation of facilities accused of such practices undermines public trust in the justice and security system. He stressed that the organisation is releasing its findings in the interest of transparency and public awareness, noting that citizens have a right to know how detention centres are being run.

The rights body also called on relevant authorities to respond promptly to the allegations, emphasizing the need for independent scrutiny and accountability where violations are established. Amnesty maintained that addressing such concerns decisively is essential to restoring confidence in law enforcement institutions.

Beyond the situation in Imo State, the organisation also commented on recent political developments in West Africa, including the attempted coup in the Benin Republic. Sanusi clarified that Amnesty’s position is not driven by political interests but by concern for the human rights consequences that often accompany military interventions and political instability.

He observed that military takeovers frequently result in the erosion of civil liberties and the suspension of democratic safeguards, adding that the recurring instability in the sub-region highlights the urgent need to strengthen democratic institutions and governance structures. According to him, democracy remains the most reliable framework for safeguarding human rights when it functions effectively and delivers justice to citizens.

Amnesty International further noted that it will continue to monitor developments in Benin and other parts of the region while sustaining its focus on domestic human rights issues in Nigeria. The organisation reiterated that the protection of human dignity must remain paramount, regardless of political or security challenges.

Sanusi concluded by stating that the forthcoming report on the Tiger Base facility should be seen as a call for introspection and reform, stressing that accountability within Nigeria is closely linked to the country’s standing and credibility on the international stage.

A senior Ukrainian military officer has warned that Britain is dangerously unprepared for a major war and could pay a “high price” if Russian President Vladimir Putin expands the conflict in Ukraine to Europe.

Viktor Andrusiv, a major in the Ukrainian armed forces and former presidential adviser, said the UK must urgently learn from Ukraine’s experience before it is too late. His warning comes amid growing concern across NATO that Russia could escalate hostilities if diplomatic efforts fail.

Speaking against the backdrop of renewed calls by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for Europe to prepare for war “like our grandparents endured,” Andrusiv said the greatest danger lies in disbelief. According to him, many people in Western countries still struggle to accept that large-scale war on European soil is a real possibility.

“The biggest problem is that people don’t believe this can happen,” Andrusiv said. He noted that Ukraine faced a similar mindset before Russia’s full-scale invasion, when the idea of tank columns and missile strikes seemed unthinkable in the 21st century.

Putin has recently warned that Russia is prepared to go to war with Europe if peace talks over Ukraine collapse, raising fears of a direct confrontation with NATO. Such a scenario would automatically draw in the UK under the alliance’s collective defence commitments.

British defence chiefs have already cautioned that the country’s armed forces have been “hollowed out” after decades of reduced military spending following the Cold War. Andrusiv agreed with that assessment, arguing that the UK’s military structure and equipment are outdated.

“I am sure you are not prepared,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you would lose for sure, but if you are not prepared, you will pay a higher price.”

A young widow in Plateau State has raised the alarm over persistent death threats allegedly issued by terrorists who killed her husband and are now pressuring her to marry one of their leaders or risk being murdered alongside her children.

The woman, who identified herself simply as Nanbam, disclosed her ordeal on Friday during an interview with the international non-governmental organisation, Equipping the Persecuted. She said her husband was among 40 residents killed during a brutal attack on Mushere community in Bokkos Local Government Area in August.

According to Nanbam, the assailants stormed the village, surrounded residents and carried out mass killings. She alleged that her husband was gruesomely murdered, claiming that his attackers mutilated his body before disposing of it in a nearby pond.

She further revealed that shortly after the attack, the same group began contacting her, insisting that their leader wanted to marry her. Nanbam said the calls started on the very day her husband was killed, allegedly made using her late husband’s phone number.

“They told me their leader wanted to marry me,” she said, adding that she rejected the proposal outright, stating she would never marry someone responsible for killing her husband and the father of her children.

Nanbam alleged that since then, the threats have intensified, with the callers warning that she and her three children would be killed if she continued to refuse the marriage and decline conversion to Islam. She said the callers frequently use different phone numbers, making it difficult to block or trace them.

In a bid to escape the threats, the widow said she relocated to her hometown in Mangu Local Government Area. Despite changing her SIM card on the advice of family members, she said the calls resumed weeks later, with the callers claiming they had tracked her location and threatening to attack not only her but also her children and extended family members.

She described her situation as desperate, noting that she is still grieving her husband while struggling to raise her children alone amid constant fear for their lives.

Nanbam also alleged that her attempt to seek help from the police yielded no meaningful response. She claimed officers told her the callers could not be traced due to the use of multiple phone numbers and allegedly asked her to provide money to support tracking efforts, a request she said she could not afford.

“I don’t know where to run to anymore,”she lamented, appealing for urgent help and protection as she fears that her life and those of her children remain in imminent danger.