Court Sentences Four to Death Over Killing of Rivers DPO Bako Angbashim

More than two years after the gruesome killing of former Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada East, SP Bako Angbashim, a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has sentenced four of the accused to death by hanging.

Justice Sika Aprioku delivered the judgment, convicting four out of the thirteen defendants standing trial for their roles in the murder of the senior police officer, who was ambushed and killed in September 2023.

In the ruling, the court also found the sixth defendant, Samuel Nwadinma, guilty of conspiracy and sentenced him to three years imprisonment.

However, the third accused person was discharged and acquitted of the four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, membership of a secret cult group and robbery.

SP Angbashim was killed when his team came under attack while returning from an operation in Ahoada East Local Government Area. The incident sparked outrage across Rivers State and drew national attention.

Days after the killing, Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced a N100 million bounty on Gift Okpara, also known as 2Baba, and members of his gang, accused of masterminding the attack.

In June 2025, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the arrest of two suspected cultists linked to the murder, intensifying investigations that eventually culminated in the prosecution of thirteen individuals.

Wednesday’s judgment marks a major legal milestone in the high-profile case, bringing partial closure to a killing that had heightened concerns over security and cult-related violence in parts of the state.

With the death sentences handed down and other verdicts delivered, attention now shifts to the next legal steps, including possible appeals, as the case enters a new phase in the justice process.