A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded 12 suspects to the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in connection with the alleged murder of a female Police Inspector, Christiana Erekere.

The suspects, including a groom identified as Efeoghene Uwheraka, were arraigned by the police on 13 counts bothering on conspiracy to murder, among others.

They were arraigned after allegedly killing the police officer who stopped them for a search operation along the Taabaa community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State on their way to Akwa Ibom State for a wedding ceremony.

Temper rose when the police team queried the validity of the document of one of the vehicles they were travelling in.

During the arraignment, the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial judge, Justice Augusta Chukwu, however, refused the bail applications of the defendants and ordered that they be remanded in prison custody.

Justice Chukwu then adjourned the matter to October 8 for an accelerated hearing.

The lead prosecution counsel, Mercy Nweke, who spoke to newsmen after the court proceedings said it was a capital offence, saying, “They applied for bail but the court refused bail.

“You know it is a capital offence and the matter has been adjourned for accelerated hearing. It is a case of murder. They murdered a policewoman inside the police station.”

PUNCH