The Rivers State Police Command has dismissed three police officers linked to the fatal shooting of 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) graduate Anthony Obodo in Port Harcourt.
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, announced the disciplinary action on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, while parading the three officers before journalists in Port Harcourt. He said the decision followed an investigation and an orderly room trial that established the officers’ culpability in the incident.
Obodo was shot on Thursday, August 27, along the Ada George axis of Port Harcourt after a police patrol team reportedly pursued the vehicle he was driving. According to the police account, officers had flagged down the vehicle and began a chase after the driver allegedly failed to stop.
During the pursuit, Corporal Alfred Louis, who was attached to the patrol team, opened fire at the vehicle. A bullet struck Obodo, who sustained a gunshot injury and was taken to a hospital in Port Harcourt, where he was subsequently confirmed dead.
The incident triggered protests by members of Obodo’s family, friends and other youths in Port Harcourt, with demonstrators demanding justice and calling on the police authorities to ensure that those responsible were held accountable. The protests continued for several days around the Ada George-Agip Junction area where the shooting occurred.
Before Wednesday’s announcement, the Rivers State Police Command had arrested and detained officers involved in the incident while an investigation was conducted. The command also launched efforts to locate Inspector Solomon Nworgu, who allegedly fled following the shooting. The police have declared the inspector a deserter.
Adepoju said the decision to dismiss the three officers reflected the command’s position that police personnel would not be protected when investigations establish that they acted outside the law.
He said the command places importance on professionalism, accountability, respect for human rights and the protection of lives and property, adding that allegations of misconduct or criminality involving police personnel would be investigated and dealt with appropriately.
“The Command has taken appropriate disciplinary action against the police personnel involved and the officers being paraded today have been dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force and will be charged to court,” Adepoju said.
The commissioner added that the dismissed officers would face criminal proceedings in court following the conclusion of the internal disciplinary process. Their dismissal from the police force therefore represents disciplinary action by the organisation, while any criminal liability will ultimately be determined through the judicial process.
The case had generated public concern partly because Obodo’s family and protesters disputed the circumstances surrounding the shooting. His father, Princewill Obodo, previously alleged that the officers involved had been deployed for security duties at the Nigerian Bar Association’s annual general conference in Port Harcourt but had left their assigned duty post before the incident. That allegation was made by the deceased’s father and has not been independently established in the police announcement concerning the dismissals.
The family had also rejected descriptions of Obodo that circulated after his death and maintained that he was an innocent young man. His father said the family wanted justice and called on the authorities to ensure that those responsible were properly dealt with.
The police action comes after the commissioner previously assured protesters that the command would not shield any officer found responsible for wrongdoing. Adepoju had condemned the incident and promised that appropriate disciplinary measures would follow if the investigation established misconduct.
The dismissal of the three officers is therefore a significant development in a case that had raised questions about police conduct and the use of firearms during patrol operations. It also represents the first major disciplinary outcome publicly announced by the Rivers State Police Command since the shooting.
However, the case is not necessarily concluded with the dismissals. The police said the officers would be charged to court, meaning the criminal proceedings and any determination of criminal responsibility will take place separately from the internal disciplinary process.
The whereabouts of Inspector Nworgu, who the police say fled after the incident, also remain part of the case. The command said efforts to locate and arrest him had been intensified and that he had been declared a deserter.
For Obodo’s family and supporters, the next stage will be to see the criminal case proceed and whether the judicial process provides the accountability they have demanded since his death. For the police, the case provides an opportunity to demonstrate that disciplinary measures against personnel accused of serious misconduct can be followed by transparent legal proceedings.
The Rivers State Police Command has maintained that it will not tolerate misconduct, abuse of office, excessive use of power or violations of the law by its personnel. The outcome of the forthcoming court proceedings will determine the criminal responsibility, if any, of the officers involved.
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