A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded 12 suspects to the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in connection with the alleged murder of Christiana Erekere, a female police inspector.
The accused, including a groom named Efeoghene Uwheraka, were charged with 13 charges of conspiracy to murder, among other offences.
They were charged with murdering a police officer who stopped them for a search operation in the Taabaa community of Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, on their way to Akwa Ibom State for a wedding ceremony.
The police crew became agitated when they questioned the legitimacy of one of the vehicles they were riding in.
During the arraignment, the accused pleaded not guilty. The trial judge, Justice Augusta Chukwu, denied the defendants’ bail applications and ordered that they be placed in jail custody.
Justice Chukwu then postponed the case until October 8 for an accelerated hearing.
Mercy Nweke, the main prosecution attorney, told reporters following the court hearings that it was a capital charge, adding, “They applied for bail, but the court refused bail.
“You know it is a capital offence, and the matter has been adjourned for an accelerated hearing. It is a case of murder. They murdered a policewoman inside the police station.”
