The High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, has discharged and acquitted a traditional ruler, Kelvin Anugwo and 42 others standing trial for the murder of the late Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ahoada East Division, Bako Angbashim.
The Nation reports that prior to their freedom, the accused persons stood trial on a four-count of cultism, armed robbery, murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The police arrested and arraigned 50 persons following the brutal killing of SP Angbashim by a notorious cult leader, late David Okpara, aka 2Baba and his gang members in Oduemude community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state in September 2023.
When the matter came up in court on Friday, the Director of Public Prosecution C.F. Amadi told the court that the accused persons had no prima facie case established against them and therefore had no case to answer.
The trial judge, Justice Sika Aprioku, relying on the advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) discharged and acquitted the accused persons.
Speaking outside the courtroom, the lawyer to the 37th defendant, Ekashie Emehi, said the ruling showed that the accused persons were innocent and could go about their normal duties, expressing dismay that his client was arrested in the guise of an invitation.
Emehi said: “He was arrested on the guise of invitation that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations wants to see him and he was arrested on a Sunday.
“Now as far as this matter is concerned, what it means by a prima facie case not been established means that the person was not connected to that case.
“So on that note is free and he has his full liberty to handle his own affairs and would no more come back to this matter.”
The freed monarch, Kelvin Anugwo, who is the Eze Ekpeye Logbo III of Ahoada Kingdom, described the ruling as justice for the people of the area.
He said: “All the allegations leveled against us have been thrown out today. So we give God all the glory. Our victory today is hinged on the hands of God, not human being.
“What it means is that the kingdom should be happy that today God has vindicated us, and as such they can be proud that they have a king that stand by the truth.”
It could be recalled that the cult leader, Gift Okpara, popularly known as 2baba who was the prime suspect in the murder of the late DPO, SP Bako Angbashim was killed during a joint security raid in one of his hideouts in Idu-Ekpeye community in Ahoada East LGA.
The police exhumed the wanted cult leader’s body from a shallow grave in a forest where his gang buried him.
