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Rivers Police hands over slain DPO’s remains to his family
The Rivers State Police Command on Saturday handed over the body of slain Ahoada Divisional Police Officer, SP Bako Angbashim, to the family.
The officer was on ambushed and killed on September 8, 2023 by a gang of criminals at a hideout in Ahoada, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Shortly after his death the command launched a man hunt for the killers of the DPO which resulted in the killing of leader of the gang, one Gift Opara popularly known as 2Baba, and some of his gang members.
Handing over Angbashim’s body to the family after a brief ceremony at police officers’ mess, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, said the late DPO tirelessly served in the command and dedicated himself to eradicating crime in the state.
Disu said the deceased was instrumental in arresting the notorious criminal, Boboski, whom he said had terrorized motorists along the Akwa-Ibom section of the East-West Road.
The CP noted that Agbashim restored order to Bori and its environs by eliminating all forms of cultism when he was the DPO in Bori.
Disu said the gallantry and operational expertise of the late Agbashim led to his transfer to the Ahoada Division, where he was tasked with arresting most wanted criminal, 2Baba.
The CP said, “He employed all his skills and experience to apprehend 2Baba and his associates alive, and was on the verge of a breakthrough when he met the tragic event that resulted in his murder and dismemberment.
“Following the gory incident, the command was initially unable to recover the late SP Bako Angbashim’s remains. However, we are now pleased to announce that we have successfully recovered his remains.
“Investigations into the murder of the late SP Bako Angbashim led the command to launch an assault on those responsible, 2Baba and his cohorts. The operation resulted in the neutralization of the suspects and the subsequent recovery of remains believed to be those of the late officer. To ensure closure for the bereaved family and the police, a thorough examination was conducted to confirm the identity of the recovered remains.
“In collaboration with the immediate family of the late SP Bako Angbashim, DNA samples were collected and analyzed by the Forensic Department at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos. After weeks of meticulous sample preparation and genetic matching, the results revealed a 99.99% probability that the DNA profile extracted from the recovered remains matched that of the deceased’s mother, Embegbu Angbashim, and brother, Timothy Angbashim. This conclusively confirmed that the individual whose remains were submitted for examination was indeed the late SP Bako Angbashim.
“I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalaiyi Fubara, who kept his word and redeemed the N100 million pledge to those who provided credible information that led to the neutralization of the suspect, 2Baba, and the recovery of his corpse which was hidden by his gang members. I also want to thank the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun for his encouragement and support throughout the operation.”
Earlier in his sermon, Rivers State Police Command Chaplain, Rev. Peter Justus, described the deceased as a gallant police officer who sacrificed his life for the good of society.
He called on police officers in the country to leave a legacy they would be remembered for.
Receiving the body of the deceased, his elder brother, Dogo Agbashim thanked the state police command for the efforts made to recover the corpses.
He said the deceased served his country meritoriously as a police officer.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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