Rivers Court Orders Remand of Two Cops Linked to UNIPORT Graduate’s Death

A magistrate’s court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has remanded two police officers dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force over the alleged killing of a 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt graduate, Anthony Obodo.

The officers, Corporal Alfred Louis and Corporal Michael Ejekwu, were arraigned before the court following their dismissal in connection with the incident.

The court subsequently ordered that both men be remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.

Obodo was shot dead on August 27, 2026, around the Ada George Junction area of Port Harcourt, an incident that prompted investigations by the Rivers State Police Command.

The arraignment of Louis and Ejekwu came after the police authorities dismissed them in connection with the killing.

However, the court proceedings on Thursday did not involve the reading of the charge to the defendants. Consequently, neither Louis nor Ejekwu entered a plea.

Instead, the trial Chief Magistrate, Helen Hardy, ordered that the two officers be remanded at the correctional centre.

Hardy also directed that the case file be referred to the Chief Registrar for reassignment.

The magistrate adjourned the matter until September 22, 2026, when the defendants are expected to take their pleas and the case may proceed to the next stage.

The development follows a wider investigation into the circumstances surrounding Obodo’s death and the conduct of police personnel allegedly linked to the incident.

Two other officers have also been linked to the killing. They were identified as Fabian Kpeanabari and Assistant Superintendent of Police Solomon Nwogu.

However, neither of the two was arraigned alongside Louis and Ejekwu.

Nwogu, according to the report, is still at large, while the issue surrounding the non-arraignment of the ASP was explained by the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, Dr Chinedu Maduba, expressed concern outside the courtroom that only two officers had been brought before the court.

Maduba said lawyers and others following the matter had expected three officers to be arraigned because three had been in custody.

He subsequently contacted Commissioner Adepoju to seek clarification on why only two of the officers were brought before the court.

According to Maduba, the commissioner explained that the third officer was an Assistant Superintendent of Police and that his dismissal required ratification by the Police Service Commission before he could be taken to court.

Maduba said Adepoju assured him that the Rivers State Police Command and the Inspector-General of Police were working to fast-track the process.

He added that the commissioner indicated that the ratification could be completed within about a week rather than the two to three months that the process would normally take.

The NBA chairman said those following the case would continue to monitor developments until justice was served.

He also stressed that the officers facing prosecution were entitled to justice and should have their guilt established by the prosecution in court.

The court proceedings followed the police command’s public presentation of officers linked to the incident.

Twenty-four hours before the arraignment, Commissioner Adepoju had paraded three officers connected with the incident before journalists at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt.

The commissioner also said the fourth officer, who allegedly absconded, would face the same process as the others.

According to the police authorities, the officer who allegedly absconded had been declared a deserter.

The case has consequently moved from the police disciplinary process into the judicial process, with two of the dismissed officers now before the court.

The next major step is expected on September 22, when the matter returns before the magistrate for plea and possible trial.