An Asaba Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday remanded a former police inspector Ubi Ebri in prison custody following his arraignment for the alleged murder of a businessman Onyeka Ibe aka Onyi Gadget at a checkpoint on April 5.
Ebri, attached to the area command patrol team, while on a stop and search duty along Ugbolu-Illah road allegedly pulled the trigger on Mr Ibe and killed him instantly.
He was arraigned on one count charge of murder, an offence punishable under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law Cap. C 21 Vol 1 Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2006.
The court ordered that the suspect be remanded at the Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre and that the case file be sent to the director of public prosecutions for legal advice and prosecution of the suspect.
The court did not take the defendant’s plea but adjourned the case to May 8, 2023.
A statement by Delta police spokesman Bright Edafe said Ebri was found culpable after an orderly room trial at the state headquarters.
The Delta State Police Command urged policemen “to uphold the tenets of professional policing in the discharge of their duties with respect to fundamental human rights of all citizens, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
The police command stated that it hoped that the case of the dismissed inspector would serve as a deterrent to other officers.
