Prince Woke
The trial of twelve suspects accused of murdering late Inspector Christiana Erekere resumed today at the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt.
The first defendant, Miss Joy Uwheraka, took the stand to open her defence. Miss Uwheraka told the court she had gone to the Taaba Police Station to retrieve a driver’s license seized during a stop-and-search operation. She said she met late Inspector Christiana Erekere at the station, who was recording the incident on her phone. Uwheraka claimed the officer struck her with the phone when she confronted her about the recording.
The first defendant also told the court that she was arrested a week later while working in a church in Delta State. The defendant further alleged that some of the statements she made during the investigation were made under duress, a claim that was opposed by the prosecution, led by Celestine Dickson of the Nigeria Police.
The trial Judge, Justice Augusta Chukwu, adjourned the case to June 3, 2025, for further defence by witnesses one and two. Inspector Christiana Erekere was allegedly murdered by travellers on April 25, 2023, during a stop-and-search operation in front of the Taaba Police Division in Khana Local Government Area.
