Family, friends protest over UNIPORT graduate’s killing
Protests have continued for the third day over the alleged killing of a University of Port Harcourt graduate, Anthony Obodo, by a police corporal at the Ada George-Agip Junction axis of Port Harcourt last Thursday.
Recall that some policemen at a checkpoint at the Ada George-Agip Junction were said to have flagged down Anthony, who was driving a private car, but that they chased after him, alleging that he refused to stop.
It was, however, gathered that one of the operatives fired three shots in Anthony’s direction and that one of the bullets hit him while he was in the car, leading to his death, which was confirmed at the hospital.
Spokesperson for the state Police Command, Blessing Agabe, in a statement identified the suspected killer cop as Corporal Alfred Louis, saying that although youths had attacked the officer and taken his rifle, operatives later rescued him and retrieved his gun.
She added that he and other officers involved in the shooting had been arrested.
However, on Tuesday, aggrieved family members and friends of the 22-year-old again staged a protest at the same spot where the incident took place along Ada George Road in the metropolis, demanding justice.
The protesters, who carried placards bearing several inscriptions, lamented that the police, who are supposed to protect citizens, were the ones taking lives and insisted that the suspected killer cop must be paraded to give the family and the public assurances that the suspect would not be shielded.
Some of the writings on the placards included, ‘We are not safe anymore, Anthony Obodo was a friend, brother and son. Give us Justice’, ‘The police can no longer protect us. They took Anthony’s life’, ‘Give us justice or give us nothing’, and ‘Anthony was shot dead by the Police. We need justice’.
Speaking to newsmen during the protest, one of the leaders, Charles Chukwu, said they would not remain silent while the police officer responsible for Anthony’s death went unpunished.
Chukwu urged the Rivers State Government, the police hierarchy and the state Chief Judge to urgently intervene in the matter to enable the family to get justice.
He stated, “We are saddened by the sudden death of our brother, master Anthony Obodo, who was killed on Thursday, 27th August 2026. The Police flagged Anthony down and a blood-thirsty officer met the young boy, shot him thrice. He was later confirmed dead.
“We are therefore calling on the Rivers State government, the Inspector General of Police and the civil society to come to our aid to ask for justice for our brother, master Anthony Obodo. We demand justice now.”
He also challenged the police hierarchy to parade the officer who fired the shot that killed an unarmed civilian to prove that the command was not shielding him from prosecution.
“The team responsible for Anthony Obodo’s death should be apprehended and the right punishment should be served on them for killing a fellow citizen. As we speak we don’t know the killers of our brother, master Anthony Obodo.
“We therefore call on the police to display (parade) such a person before us because such a person is not fit to be in the police. They (police) are meant to protect us but now they are the ones killing us. We are sad.”
Addressing the protesters, the State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, called for calm and condemned the action of his men, while assuring that appropriate disciplinary action was already being taken against the arrested officers.
“The Police will never cover anybody. Since that day they have been arrested and handcuffed. I have been talking to the father. All those people (officers) have been detained
“In a crowd like this everybody will be saying what they like. Somebody has been killed and we condemn it and there has to be justice. People that did it would be shown as an example for others to stop.”
Meanwhile, the father of the late UNIPORT graduate, Mr Princewill Obodo, said his son was targeted and killed, saying he gathered from the Divisional Police Officer that the officers involved in his son’s death had been sent to provide security at the venue of the just-concluded Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, held at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia, Port Harcourt.
The grieving father, while speaking to newsmen, lamented that the officers left their duty post to commit a crime.
Mr Obodo stated, “The DPO also told us that those police officers were deployed to the NBA conference at Elekahia and were supposed to report back by 7pm. That he was surprised to hear that they left their duty post to come here to carry out this mayhem.
“I want justice for my son because my son is innocent. The Police Area Commander has confirmed that my son is innocent. The DPO where these miscreants came from confirmed that my son is innocent. I want to call on Nigerians to ensure that my son gets justice.”
He further said the entire family was broken since the incident occurred.
“I feel broken. I feel highly broken. My heart bleeds. I have not had peace since the demise of my son. The entire family is in mourning. The entire family is heart -broken. The entire family is crying. We’ve been crying. So I feel highly broken,” Mr Obodo said while fighting back tears.
