The Rivers State Police Command has arraigned two of the police officers dismissed over the killing of a 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt graduate, Anthony Obodo.
The two officers, Corporal Alfred Louis and Corporal Michael Ejekwu, were arraigned before a magistrate’s court sitting in Port Harcourt and subsequently remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.
Obodo was shot dead on August 27, 2026, around the Ada George Junction area of Port Harcourt.
The arraignment of the officers followed their dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force in connection with the incident.
Two other officers linked to the killing, identified as Fabian Kpeanabari and an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Solomon Nwogu, were not arraigned alongside Louis and Ejekwu. Nwogu is reportedly still at large.
When the matter came up before the trial Chief Magistrate, Helen Hardy, on Thursday, the charge was not read to the defendants and no plea was taken.
Instead, the magistrate ordered that Louis and Ejekwu be remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.
Hardy directed that the case file be referred to the Chief Registrar for reassignment and adjourned the matter until September 22, 2026, for plea and possible trial.
Speaking to newsmen outside the courtroom, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, Dr Chinedu Maduba, expressed displeasure that only two of the police officers had been brought to court.
Maduba, however, said he contacted the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, who explained why the Assistant Superintendent of Police was not arraigned.
He said, “We were not pleased when we saw two of the police personnel instead of three that have been in custody.
“So immediately after the proceedings, because what happened there was merely a remand proceeding of the two persons that were brought to court, I reached out to the Commissioner of Police to inquire why two instead of three that have been in custody.
“And he explained that the other one that was not brought is an ASP and that, being an ASP, his dismissal has to be ratified by the Police Service Commission before they take him to court.
“That is why he was not brought to court, but he gave his word that he and the Inspector-General of Police are in contact and that they are going to fast-track that dismissal and, with that, he can be brought to court.”
Maduba said the police commissioner assured him that the ratification could be completed within a week rather than the usual two to three months.
He added, “So we are still on the lookout for what would happen. Like we promised, we are following up this matter until we see that justice is done to everybody that is affected by this matter, including the persons being charged.
“They too are entitled to justice. Let them have their day in court and their guilt proved by the prosecution. That is what we are interested in, so that nobody will harm innocent citizens. That is why we are here.”
PUNCH Metro reports that the arraignment came 24 hours after three of the officers linked to the incident were paraded before journalists by the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Adepoju, during the briefing on Wednesday, said the fourth officer who allegedly absconded would face the same fate as the others, adding that he had already been declared a deserter.
