Nigerian content creator and businessman John Ndubuisi Ezeh has accused a group of armed men who allegedly claimed to be operatives of the police tactical unit known as Tiger Base of kidnapping and assaulting him in Owerri, Imo State.
Ezeh, a native of Dimagu Autonomous Community in Isiekenesi, Ideato South Local Government Area of the state, said the incident occurred on April 28, 2025, during a sit-at-home order in the South-East.
He alleged that he was livestreaming on TikTok while travelling to his laundry shop and intending to meet his brother at E29 Hotel along Port Harcourt Road when two men allegedly dragged him from a vehicle around the Road Traffic and Fire Service area.
According to him, the men forced him into a Sienna vehicle, where five men and a woman were allegedly present. He also claimed that other people, including a baby, were being held inside the vehicle.
Ezeh said the men demanded that he take them to his house, but he refused and asked them to identify themselves and take him to the police or military if he had committed any offence.
He alleged that the men subsequently took him to his laundry shop, where they beat him, destroyed property and stole money and electronic devices.
According to Ezeh, the attackers allegedly took N237,000, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, a Samsung phone, gold jewellery and phones belonging to his workers.
He further alleged that the men fired shots into the air with AK-47 rifles to scare people away before assaulting him and recording the incident without his consent.
Ezeh said he escaped with injuries and reported the incident to the Imo State Criminal Investigation Department in Owerri. He also said he later petitioned the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.
The content creator alleged that a threatening note was left at his laundry shop on May 5, 2025, warning him against reporting the incident to the police or other security agencies.
He identified one of the alleged suspects as Victor Chinagorom Uzogara, popularly known as “Omobaexchange2”, and accused him of being involved in the attack and previously threatening him.
Ezeh claimed that police later invited Uzogara, but that he fled.
He also alleged that the armed men claimed to be operatives of Tiger Base, prompting him to call on the police authorities to investigate whether any serving officers were involved.
On January 13, 2026, Ezeh said he petitioned the Imo State Commissioner of Police over alleged threats to his life, unlawful possession of firearms, kidnapping, attempted murder, assault, arson and breach of public peace involving Uzogara, another man identified as Derek, also known as “Legal Means”, and others.
Earlier, on May 14, 2025, his lawyers had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, the IGP Monitoring Unit and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department over the alleged incident.
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A letter from the Inspector-General’s office showed that the petition was acknowledged and forwarded to the Force Intelligence Department for investigation.
However, Ezeh alleged that more than a year after the incident, no arrest had been made and that he continued to receive threats.
He appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, military authorities and the state government to intervene and protect him.
Ezeh also urged members of the public to share a video of the alleged assault and draw the attention of relevant security authorities to his case.
He claimed that the armed men were carrying several firearms and alleged that other victims were being held inside the Sienna vehicle at the time of his alleged abduction.
SaharaReporters contacted the police officer identified by Ezeh as the Investigation Police Officer handling the case for comments on the allegations and the reported lack of progress.
However, the officer reportedly did not answer calls or respond to a WhatsApp message before the report was published.
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