Amnesty International Nigeria has called for an independent and impartial investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killing of Anthony Obodo by police officers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Obodo was reportedly shot dead by police officers on August 29, 2026, along Agip by Ada-George Road in Port Harcourt, in circumstances that Amnesty described as deeply disturbing and requiring urgent investigation.
The human rights organisation said the police could not be trusted to investigate allegations of unlawful killings involving their own personnel, insisting that any inquiry into Obodo’s death must be independent and capable of delivering justice.
“Suspected police officers must face prosecution in public trials,” Amnesty International Nigeria said.
According to the victim’s family, Obodo was driving a Lexus when he was allegedly pursued by police officers and shot at close range.
His sister reportedly said Obodo was still breathing after the shooting when the officers allegedly pulled him from the vehicle, removed his gold chain and rings, abandoned him by the roadside in the rain and drove away in his car.
A passerby reportedly found Obodo bleeding by the roadside and rushed him to a hospital, where he subsequently died.
Amnesty described the alleged killing as a disturbing reminder of what it called the persistent targeting of young men by security personnel based on stereotypes associated with their appearance, possessions or lifestyle.
The organisation said it had previously documented cases in which police officers attributed criminality to young men because they wore gold chains or possessed items such as smartphones and laptops.
“Reckless resort of the police to deadly force is a human rights violation,” Amnesty said.
It warned that the absence of accountability was fuelling a culture of impunity in which security personnel could commit serious abuses without fear of prosecution or other consequences.
Amnesty said it was unacceptable that, despite repeated government commitments to police reform and ending torture and extrajudicial killings, allegations of unlawful killings and other abuses by police officers continued to emerge.
The organisation urged the Nigerian authorities to ensure that those suspected of involvement in Obodo’s killing are subjected to due process and, where evidence supports the allegations, prosecuted in fair and public proceedings.
It also called for measures to strengthen police accountability and ensure that the use of lethal force complies strictly with Nigeria’s human rights obligations and applicable standards.
Amnesty said an independent investigation was essential not only to secure justice for Obodo’s family but also to address the wider culture of impunity and restore public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
