Two police officers dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force for the alleged killing of a 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt graduate, Anthony Obodo, have been remanded in custody by a magistrate’s court in Port Harcourt.
The officers, Corporals Alfred Louis and Michael Ejekwu, were arraigned before the court on Thursday and ordered to be remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre. Obodo was allegedly shot dead on August 27, 2026, around Ada George Junction in Port Harcourt.
Their arraignment followed their dismissal from the police force for their alleged involvement in the incident. Two other officers linked to the killing, identified as Fabian Kpeanabari and Assistant Superintendent of Police Solomon Nwogu, were not arraigned alongside the two corporals. Nwogu is reportedly still at large.
When the matter came before the Chief Magistrate, Helen Hardy, on Thursday, the charges were not read to Louis and Ejekwu, and they did not enter any plea. The magistrate instead ordered that the two defendants be remanded at the correctional centre and directed that the case file be forwarded to the Chief Registrar for reassignment.
The case was adjourned until September 22, 2026, for plea and possible trial. Speaking outside the courtroom, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, Dr Chinedu Maduba, expressed concern that only two of the officers linked to the incident were brought before the court.
Maduba said he contacted the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, to seek clarification on why the third officer in custody was not arraigned. According to him, the commissioner explained that Nwogu, being an Assistant Superintendent of Police, required ratification of his dismissal by the Police Service Commission before he could be prosecuted.
Maduba said Adepoju assured him that the process, which could normally take two to three months, would be fast-tracked and completed within a week. The NBA chairman said the association would continue monitoring the case to ensure that justice was served.
He stressed that while the police officers accused of the killing must face trial, they were also entitled to due process and could only be convicted if the prosecution established their guilt. The arraignment came a day after the Rivers State Police Command paraded three officers allegedly connected to Obodo’s killing at its headquarters in Port Harcourt.
During the briefing on Wednesday, Commissioner Adepoju said the fourth officer, who allegedly fled after the incident, had been declared a deserter and would face the same consequences as the other officers if apprehended. The case has continued to attract attention amid calls for accountability and justice over the death of the young UNIPORT graduate.
