The family and friends of 22-year-old Anthony Obodo, a graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, are calling for justice after he was allegedly killed by policemen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. His father claims that the officers involved left their duty spot at the Nigerian Bar Association conference before the shooting.
This demand came on Tuesday as protests over Obodo’s death reached their third day. Family and friends held another demonstration at the Ada George-Agip junction, the same place where the incident happened last Thursday.
Obodo was reportedly driving his car when policemen at a checkpoint stopped him for not halting. The officers then chased after him, and one of them allegedly fired three shots in his direction. One bullet hit him inside the car.
He was rushed to a hospital, but sadly, he was confirmed dead there. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Blessing Agabe, identified the alleged shooter as Corporal Alfred Louis. She added that the officer and others involved had been arrested.
The police said that youths attacked Louis after the shooting and took his gun. Other officers later intervened, rescuing him and recovering the weapon.
During the protest on Tuesday, demonstrators carried signs with messages like, “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”; and “Anthony was shot dead by the police. We need justice.”
One protest leader, Charles Chukwu, spoke on behalf of the crowd. He called on the Rivers State Government, the police, and the Chief Judge of the state to step in. Chukwu said, “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 and shot him thrice. He was later confirmed dead.
“We are therefore calling on the Rivers State Government, the Inspector-General of Police, and civil society to come to our aid and seek justice for our brother, Master Anthony Obodo. We demand justice now.”
Chukwu also urged the police to show the officer who allegedly fired the fatal shot. He believes this would reassure the family and the public that the officer is not being protected. “The team responsible for Anthony Obodo’s death should be caught and punished 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 such a person before us because such a person is not fit to be in the police. They are meant to protect us, but now they are the ones killing us. We are sad,” Chukwu said.
The state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, spoke to the protesters. He asked for calm and condemned the actions of the officers involved. Adepoju assured them that the police will not protect any officer found guilty. He said the officers have been arrested and detained.
“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 have been detained.
“In a crowd like this, everybody will be saying what they like. Somebody has been killed, and we condemn it. There has to be justice. People that did it would be shown as an example for others to stop,” the Commissioner stated.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s father, Princewill Obodo, claimed that his son was targeted and killed. He said the Divisional Police Officer informed him that the policemen were meant to provide security at the recent NBA Annual General Conference at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia, Port Harcourt.
The officers were supposed to return to their duty post by 7pm but allegedly left before the shooting happened. “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. He said 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 said.
The grieving father expressed his pain. “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 heartbroken. The entire family is crying. We’ve been crying. So I feel highly broken,” Obodo said, fighting back tears.
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