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 verdict, 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.
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 argument reportedly ensued, leading to the officer’s collapse and subsequent death.
An autopsy report revealed that late Inspector Erekere did not die from physical injuries, but from an underlying health condition.
Justice Chukwu described this finding as critical, adding that the prosecution could not establish any direct causal link between the defendants and the officer.
