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ITODE AKARI

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has discharged and acquitted 12 persons accused of killing a female Police Inspector, Christiana Erekere, citing lack of credible evidence.

The defendants, who had spent 18 months in custody, were awarded ₦1 million each as compensation for their unlawful detention.

In her judgment, Justice Augusta Chukwu held that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants were responsible for Inspector Erekere’s death, which occurred on April 25, 2024, during a police stop-and-search operation.

The court noted that the prosecution’s evidence was inconsistent and largely based on hearsay.

According to the case file, the defendants; Efeoghene Uwheraka, Joy Uwhereka, Shirley Wealth, Napoleon Uwhereka, Ejiro Ejogbamu, Moses Agege, Precious Iyota, Kikelomo Odusanya, Wealth Ojoh, Ighofose Oke, Blessing Ovie, and Emeka Joshua, were traveling to Akwa Ibom State for a wedding when they were stopped at a checkpoint.

An altercation reportedly ensued, leading to the officer’s collapse and subsequent death.

An autopsy report, however, revealed that late Inspector Erekere did not die from physical injuries, but from an underlying health condition.

Justice Chukwu described this finding as critical, stressing that the prosecution could not establish any direct causal link between the defendants and the officer’s death.

The verdict triggered mixed emotions in court, families of the acquitted defendants erupted in jubilation, while relatives of the deceased officer wept openly.

Prosecution counsel Celestine Dickson, expressed disappointment over the ruling, adding that the police would review the judgment and consider further legal steps.

Speaking with newsmen outside the courtroom Dickson said: “Well the court has reviewed facts before it and evidence before it and come to this conclusion that is the position of the court.

“I will contact the authorities that sent me and review the judgement and look at where the court has done well or has not done well it’s basically for us to sit down with the police authorities and review the judgement before we know how to move forward.

“It’s very rare, I’m shocked at the outcome of today’s judgement that I will not say that it’s gradually it will be enough that a group of travellers will just move into a police station and beat up a police officer and the person passes on the same day and the court will now come to the conclusion that those people should walk away even when the court agrees that certain people engaged with the deceased in the fight, the court still went ahead to discharge and acquit those persons.

“So like I said the team is going to meet with the police and review the judgement look at it very well and advice on the next step to take,” he added.

Defense counsel, Sunny Nwokoro, welcomed the judgment, saying it reflected the rule of law.

He said, “Murder must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, not based on emotions.

“The court agreed that the prosecution failed to establish a direct link between the defendants and the death.”

The late officer’s family had vowed to appeal the judgment, insisting that their mother was murdered and had no underlying medical condition.