Despite being detained in a police cell over a murder investigation, a serving police officer linked to the June 2024 deadly incident at the Eberi-Omuma Local Government Council Secretariat in Rivers State has continued to receive his monthly salary, SaharaReporters can report.
Information exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters shows that Inspector Hycent Oboh was credited with N249,138.13 as salary on December 29, 2025, despite being locked in detention.
The transaction description attached to the payment reads: ETZ:08MWPZ037271; COP08MWPZ037271: EBONYI.
Meanwhile, a document obtained by SaharaReporters dated December 31, 2025, shows that Inspector Hycent has been detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Port Harcourt, in connection with a murder case.
The document identifies him as a suspect and indicates that he is being held in the ‘D’ Department cell, Section D4, with Inspector Festus and his team listed as the Investigating Police Officers (IPO) in charge of the case.
Two Killed In Omuma Council Secretariat Shooting
The salary payment comes amid the conclusion of an internal disciplinary trial by the Nigeria Police Force over a violent confrontation involving multiple armed police operatives at the Eberi-Omuma Local Government Council Secretariat on June 18, 2024, during which at least two people lost their lives.
The deceased were identified during proceedings as Inspector David Mgbada, a serving police officer, and Samuel Nwigwe, a civilian security operative attached to a local vigilante group.
The incident occurred amid heightened political tension over the leadership of the Omuma Local Government Council and later triggered an orderly room trial of 12 police officers.
Charges Against The Officers
The officers were arraigned on three counts under the Police Act and Regulations.
Count One accused them of discreditable conduct for allegedly engaging in crossfire that turned the council secretariat into what prosecutors described as a “battle ground.”
Count Two alleged unlawful exercise of authority, accusing some officers of using excessive force that resulted in the fatal shooting of Inspector Mgbada and Samuel Nwigwe.
Count Three accused the officers of damaging government property through the waste of ammunition, including AK-47 and GPMG rounds, as well as smoke canisters.
All the officers pleaded not guilty.
How The Trial Began
The orderly room trial commenced on August 1, 2024, at the SCIID in Port Harcourt. Six of the officers were initially sworn in, while the remaining six were repeatedly absent, drawing warnings from the trial officer.
By August 7, all 12 officers had been sworn in and formally took their pleas.
Eyewitnesses Describe Teargas, Gunfire
PW1, Success Amaefule, told the panel that members of a political group had gathered peacefully at the council secretariat when armed officers allegedly arrived, fired gunshots, and threw teargas.
He claimed bullets struck two civilians and linked some of the officers to a federal lawmaker, Hon. Kelechi Nwogu, though he said the lawmaker was not present.
Amaefule insisted under cross-examination that he saw officers firing and deploying teargas, naming D3, D5, D6, D8, D10 and D11, a claim later faulted by the panel.
He said, “In the cause of addressing out teeming supporters opposite the council secretariat, we saw the 3rd ,5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 11th defaulters throwing teargas at innocent citizens of Omuma, members of Simplify Movement who gathered at the council secretariat.
“The aforementioned defaulters were also found shooting sporadically in the air and at a point the bullet hits two persons I saw, one male and one female whose name I cannot remember for now but all indigene of Omuma Local Government Area.”
Former DPO’s Account
PW2, CSP Okiridu Harcourt, former DPO of Eberi-Omuma, testified that he had intervened to calm tensions and persuaded political actors to leave before gunfire erupted from outside the council premises.
He said officers attached to a political principal began firing rifles without provocation and that he personally arranged the evacuation of the critically injured Inspector Mgbada.
More Witnesses Corroborate Shooting Claims
PW3, Chemezie Agunia, said officers arrived in a black Lexus vehicle, deployed teargas, and opened fire, causing panic.
PW4 and PW5, commercial drivers, testified that teargas filled the area and vehicles were damaged by bullets, forcing them to flee into nearby bushes.
Investigating Officer’s Testimony
PW6, Inspector Festus Ilerhunwa, told the panel that investigators recovered 21 AK-47 empty shells, 22 GPMG shells, teargas canisters, and evidence of bullet damage.
He said autopsies at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital showed Inspector Mgbada died from hemorrhagic shock due to gunshot injury, while the cause of Samuel Nwigwe’s death was not medically established.
He also disclosed that some police formations refused to release rifles and arms movement registers for forensic analysis.
Defence Testimonies
Inspector Hycent Oboh, attached to the Rivers State Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, claimed officers in black uniforms fired into the premises. He denied firing his weapon and tendered a medical report showing teargas exposure.
Other officers denied firing or claimed they were not present, while one testified that Inspector Mgbada was shot after an order to fire but could not identify the shooter.
Panel Details Why Charges Failed
In its detailed findings, the orderly room panel acknowledged that two persons, Inspector David Mgbada and Samuel Nwigwe, died during the June 18, 2024 incident at the Eberi-Omuma council secretariat, allegedly from gunshot injuries.
The panel found that an autopsy conducted at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital confirmed that Inspector Mgbada died from hemorrhagic shock caused by a perforated missile injury consistent with a gunshot wound. However, it held that the medical cause of death of Samuel Nwigwe was not medically ascertained.
Despite hearing testimony from eight prosecution witnesses, 12 accused officers, and the Executive Chairman of Eberi-Omuma Local Government, and admitting multiple exhibits, the panel held that no prosecution witness was able to identify who shot Inspector Mgbada or link any of the accused officers directly to the fatal shooting.
The panel further found that allegations relating to the throwing and detonation of teargas could not be sustained, as only one witness attempted to identify officers involved, a claim that was not verified by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) and was contradicted by records showing the accused officers did not sign for teargas from the armoury.
Claims that civilians were hit by stray bullets were also rejected, with the panel ruling that such assertions were not investigated or verified and therefore inadmissible.
The panel criticised the IPO for failing to verify critical evidence, including a video recording tendered during the trial. It held that the video was not subjected to investigative scrutiny, the author was not interrogated, and its authenticity could not be established, making it unreliable.
It further faulted the IPO for failing to conduct an identification parade, despite conflicting accounts of who fired weapons during the incident, a lapse the panel said undermined the investigation.
The panel also noted contradictions between witness testimony and documentary evidence admitted during the trial, including police routine diaries, which weakened the prosecution’s case against some officers.
A major finding of the panel was that several armed policemen, some masked, were present at the scene but were neither identified, arrested, nor interrogated.
It held that none of the rifles used by the accused officers were subjected to ballistic or forensic analysis, describing this as a critical failure in a case involving fatalities.
The panel also found that some police formations refused to release rifles and arms movement registers signed out on the day of the incident, an action it said seriously compromised the investigation and amounted to obstruction.
Unverified Gun Truck, Missing Ammunition Records
Claims that a gun truck or armoured vehicle was involved were found to be unsubstantiated, as the alleged vehicle and its operator were never identified, intercepted, or examined.
The panel further noted that although Inspector Mgbada was found with four AK-47 magazines, three of which were empty, investigators failed to establish how many rounds were issued to him or how many were expended, making it impossible to determine whether he fired his weapon during the incident.
Basis for Limited Convictions
Based on the evidence, the panel concluded that only two officers, D5 and D8, committed disciplinary infractions, having joined a local government chairman’s escort team without authorisation, after being co-opted by late Inspector Mgbada.
It held that their actions amounted to discreditable conduct and leaving assigned beats, while finding that the remaining officers could not be held liable under the charges due to evidentiary and investigative failures.
Panel Acquits 10 Officers, Demotes Two Over Omuma Shooting
In its final decision, the orderly room panel held that the prosecution failed to prove the three charges against most of the accused officers due to what it described as a lack of diligent investigation.
Consequently, the panel discharged and acquitted 10 officers, identified as D1, D2, D3, D4, D6, D7, D9, D10, D11 and D12, of all allegations relating to the June 18, 2024 incident at the Eberi-Omuma council secretariat.
However, the panel found two officers, Inspector Michael Etim (D5) and Inspector Nelson Mbang (D8), guilty of discreditable conduct for engaging in illegal duty outside their approved beats, an act it described as prejudicial to discipline and unbecoming of members of the Nigeria Police Force.
The panel accordingly recommended their reduction in rank from Inspector to Sergeant, adding that both officers should also be subjected to a separate trial for leaving their officially allocated beats.
In a controversial ruling, the panel further held that late Inspector David Mgbada, who died during the incident, should be tried posthumously for unlawful exercise of authority and discreditable conduct.
According to the panel, the deceased officer unlawfully co-opted D5 and D8 into the security and escort team of the Omuma Local Government caretaker chairman without obtaining due approval or authorisation from his formation.
The panel said its decision was intended to deter other officers who might be inclined to engage in similar acts.
Allocutus And Right Of Appeal
During allocutus, both convicted officers pleaded for leniency.
Inspector Etim appealed to the authorities to show mercy, while Inspector Mbang asked that justice be tempered with mercy, noting that he had no prior disciplinary record.
The panel confirmed that both officers had clean service records and formally notified them of their seven-day right of appeal against the decision.
Panel Criticises Police Investigation
In its concluding remarks, the panel criticised what it described as a breakdown of discipline and esprit-de-corps among tactical police units, lamenting political influence within the force.
It also recommended that the investigating officer strengthen his investigative efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for the unlawful acts that occurred at the Omuma council on June 18, 2024, stressing that the perpetrators “cannot go unpunished.”
The panel noted that its recommendations remain subject to the approval of the reviewing authority.