The Rivers State Police Command has dismissed three officers following an internal investigation into the fatal shooting of 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt graduate Anthony Obodo and announced that they will be charged to court.

The command also declared an inspector who allegedly fled after the shooting a deserter, saying efforts were underway to apprehend him.

Rivers State Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Adepoju announced the disciplinary measures while parading the dismissed officers before journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

Adepoju said the investigation conducted by the command established the culpability of the officers, warranting their dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force and proposed prosecution.

“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,” the commissioner said.

Obodo, a recent UNIPORT graduate awaiting mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps, was allegedly shot during an encounter with a police patrol team at the Agip/Ada-George Junction in Port Harcourt on August 27, 2026.

Accounts provided by his family and witnesses indicated that the police officers allegedly attempted to stop the vehicle he was driving before pursuing him when he failed to stop.

One of the officers reportedly fired several shots at the vehicle, with a bullet allegedly striking Obodo. He was taken to a hospital but was subsequently pronounced dead.

The Rivers State Police Command had earlier identified the officer accused of firing the fatal shot as Corporal Alfred Louis and announced that he and other members of the patrol team had been arrested and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department.

The police said some youths attacked Louis after the shooting and dispossessed him of his rifle before other officers intervened and recovered the weapon.

Obodo’s death triggered several days of protests by his relatives, friends and residents, who blocked sections of the Ada-George Road and demanded the prosecution of all officers involved.

The protesters carried placards bearing messages condemning extrajudicial killings and maintained that a police uniform should not serve as a licence to take human life.

They also called on the command to publicly identify and parade the officers to demonstrate that those responsible would not be shielded from prosecution.

Obodo’s father, Princewill Obodo, alleged that the officers had been assigned to provide security at the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt but abandoned their duty post before the shooting.

He rejected claims suggesting that his son was involved in internet fraud, describing them as false, reckless and intended to damage the deceased’s reputation.

The grieving father maintained that his son was innocent and called for a transparent prosecution of everyone found responsible for his death.

Adepoju had earlier assured the family and protesters that the command would not cover up the incident or protect any officer found culpable.

The command described the shooting as reprehensible, unprofessional and inconsistent with the standards of the Nigeria Police Force.

The dismissal of the officers followed the police disciplinary process and does not constitute a criminal conviction. Their alleged criminal responsibility for Obodo’s death will be determined by a court after their arraignment and trial.

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