The Rivers State Police Command is at the center of a brewing storm after being accused of fatally shooting a 300-level student of the University of Port Harcourt and attempting to conceal the circumstances of his death.
Twenty-three-year-old Godwin Akpakpan, a third-year student in the Faculty of Education, had been missing since April 16, 2025. His family’s worst fears were confirmed days later — a revelation that plunged them into a nightmare of grief and outrage.
Described as “gentle and full of life,” Godwin was the third of seven siblings — four boys and three girls. According to devastated relatives, he disappeared while returning home after watching an Arsenal football match with friends.
“My brother never came back,” a family member said, their voice breaking with emotion. “The next morning, when my aunt and some of his coursemates called his phone, a police officer answered and told them to come to the State CID, Homicide Department.”
At the police station, the family was delivered a chilling narrative — without any formal document or explanation. The police claimed Godwin had been killed during an altercation involving the police and an alleged soldier.
According to the police account, Godwin had been inside a mini-bus stopped by officers from the Dragon Division (SARS Road, Port Harcourt). They allegedly found hard drugs, arrested the passengers, and while transporting them to the station, encountered an Army checkpoint. A supposed “soldier” allegedly opened fire to free the suspects, and a stray bullet killed Godwin.
But the family immediately sensed something was amiss.
“When we went back to the station on Wednesday, we were made to wait all day. The next day, they read out the same statement again,” the family source recounted bitterly. “When we finally insisted on seeing his body at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital mortuary, what we found was horrifying — gunshot wounds to the stomach, bruises on his arms and forehead, injuries on his back. His body was covered in sand.”
The Anti-Cultism Dragon Base Division had deposited his corpse without informing the family — even as they continued searching for him.
When the family visited the scene described by police, more inconsistencies emerged. The address in the official statement did not match the actual location, and the officers accompanying them warned them not to step out of the car.
“They said the ‘soldiers’ there were dangerous and could shoot us,” the family said. “But we knew the truth was being hidden. We insisted on investigating, and the officer became angry and refused to proceed.”
Certain now that the police — not soldiers — were responsible, the family accused the authorities of orchestrating a cover-up.
“This is not the Army’s doing. Army officers don’t even operate in that location,” a relative said bitterly. “It was the Police. And this is not the first time they have done something like this.”
The incident reportedly occurred near Alakaya along the East-West Road, close to where Godwin lived.
“They claimed he was shot on SARS Road, but he lived and was killed around Alakaya. Nothing matches their story,” the family insisted.
Images of the mini-bus involved showed a clear bullet hole, and its plate number was confirmed as YAB-476XG. Photographs of Godwin’s body revealed extensive injuries consistent with violent assault.
Further compounding the family’s agony was the revelation that his body had been taken to the mortuary by Inspector Festus of the State CID Homicide Department — without their knowledge or consent.
“The Police put him in the mortuary while we were still desperately searching for him,” the grieving family lamented.
When contacted, Grace Iringe-Koko, the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, initially asked if the case had been formally reported. Although the family confirmed the details and provided the names of officers involved, no further official response has been given as of the time of this report.
As calls for justice mount across Rivers State, one truth remains: a family is demanding accountability for the brutal death of their beloved son, and they refuse to be silenced.
