A Magistrate’s Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered the remand of two police officers accused of involvement in the killing of a 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt graduate, Anthony Obodo.
The officers, Corporals Alfred Louis and Michael Ejekwu, were brought before the court following their dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force over the incident. They were subsequently remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.
Obodo was reportedly shot dead on August 27, 2026, around the Ada George Junction area of Port Harcourt.
The case came before the trial Chief Magistrate, Helen Hardy, on Thursday. However, the charges were not read to the two defendants and they did not enter any plea.
Rather, the court ordered that both officers be remanded pending further proceedings.
Magistrate Hardy also directed that the case file be forwarded to the Chief Registrar for reassignment and adjourned the matter until September 22, 2026, when the defendants are expected to take their plea and the case may proceed to trial.
Two other officers linked to the incident were identified as Fabian Kpeanabari and Assistant Superintendent of Police, Solomon Nwogu. Nwogu was not brought before the court and is reportedly still at large.
Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, Dr Chinedu Maduba, expressed concern that only two of the officers were arraigned despite three reportedly being in custody.
Maduba said he contacted Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, who explained that Nwogu, being an Assistant Superintendent of Police, required ratification of his dismissal by the Police Service Commission before he could be arraigned.
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According to Maduba, the police commissioner assured him that the ratification process would be expedited, potentially within a week, instead of the usual two to three months.
The NBA chairman said the association would continue to monitor the matter to ensure that justice is served.
He stressed that while the affected family deserved justice, the accused officers were also entitled to a fair trial, with their guilt established through due legal process.
The arraignment followed the parade of three officers linked to the incident by the Rivers State Commissioner of Police at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
The fourth officer, who allegedly absconded, had been declared a deserter and was expected to face the same disciplinary and legal consequences if apprehended.