NIGERIA: Nigerian police are guilty of routine acts of torture and are responsible for dozens of deaths in custody, according to a damning report by Human Rights Watch.
The international watchdog urges donor governments to link development aid with improvements in police conduct.
More than 50 torture victims interviewed for the report, which was published yesterday, describe a litany of abuses including severe beatings with metal and wooden objects.
Several female detainees were raped and men described police officers taking pliers to their genitals. Witnesses reported that dozens of suspects died as a result of their injuries while others were summarily executed in police custody.
Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division of Human Rights Watch, said: "For too long, the police in Nigeria have gotten away with murder and brutality.
"If President Olusegun Obasanjo wants to show the world that he is serious about pursuing justice, he should ensure that police torturers are held accountable for their crimes."
Mr Takirambudde said torture had been an accepted part of police operations in Nigeria during years of military rule and that little had changed as the country grappled with democracy. The result was that police officers could behave with impunity. The report says most of the victims were arrested as part of an aggressive country-wide campaign against common crime and were tortured to obtain confessions.
A 23-year-old man arrested in Enugu in June 2004, who was quoted in the report, said: "They handcuffed me and tied me with my hands behind my knees, a wooden rod behind my knees, and hung me from hooks on the wall, like goal posts. Then they started beating me.
"They got a broomstick hair [ bristle] and inserted it into my penis until there was blood coming out. Then they put tear gas powder in a cloth and tied it round my eyes. They said they were going to shoot me unless I admitted I was the robber. This went on for four hours."
Mr Takirambudde called on the international community to act. "Diplomatic relations have taken precedence over concern for human rights for too long. It's time the British and the US governments conditioned further aid to the police to measurable improvements in police conduct," he said.
Nigeria's government denied the accusations, saying all reported abuses were investigated thoroughly. However, the revelations come at a time when the police service is already under scrutiny.
The country has been hit by riots sparked by police killings, several occurring after officers demanded bribes at checkpoints.