A State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has discharged and acquitted 12 travellers accused of killing Inspector Christiana Erekere, a female police officer attached to the Taabaa Police Division in Bori, Khana Local Government Area.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Augusta Chukwu ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, stating that there was no credible evidence linking the defendants to the officer’s death, which occurred on April 25, 2024, during a stop-and-search operation.
The acquitted persons were on their way to Akwa Ibom State for a wedding when the incident took place. According to reports, the confrontation began when police officers at a checkpoint allegedly questioned the validity of one of the vehicle’s documents, leading to an altercation that resulted in Erekere’s death.
Justice Chukwu noted that the testimonies of the six prosecution witnesses were inconsistent and largely hearsay, adding that none of them could directly establish that the actions of the accused caused the officer’s death.
Consequently, the judge ordered the release of all 12 defendants, who had spent 18 months in detention, and awarded ₦1 million each as compensation for their unlawful incarceration.
Reacting to the verdict, Prosecuting Counsel, Celestine Dickson, expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome, stating that the prosecution team would review the judgment with police authorities before deciding on the next step.
However, Barrister Sunny Nwokoro, counsel to the first and third defendants, commended the judgment, saying the court upheld the principle that murder must be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
