Detained Nigerian Police Inspector Still Receiving Salary as Panel Acquits Majority of Officers in Omuma Shooting Case
A serving Nigerian police officer, Inspector Hycent Oboh, continued to receive his regular monthly salary while held in detention in connection with a deadly shooting incident in Omuma, Rivers State, SaharaReporters has exclusively revealed.
Documents obtained by the news outlet show that Oboh was credited with ₦249,138.13 on December 29, 2025, despite being in custody linked to a murder investigation at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Port Harcourt.
The development comes as an internal Nigeria Police Force disciplinary panel reached a controversial outcome in the case arising from the June 18, 2024 shooting at the Eberi-Omuma Local Government Council Secretariat, where at least two people, including a police officer and a civilian, were killed during a confrontation involving armed police operatives.
Panel Verdict: Acquittals and Demotions
The orderly room trial, which began in August 2024, examined evidence and testimony from multiple witnesses and officers. Prosecutors had charged 12 officers with discreditable conduct, unlawful exercise of authority and waste of government property, alleging that excessive force, gunfire and teargas were used during the incident.
However, the panel concluded that the prosecution failed to prove these charges against most of the accused officers, citing insufficient identification of shooters and investigative lapses such as lack of ballistic analysis and unverified evidence.
As a result, 10 officers, identified only by their case codes, were discharged and acquitted of all allegations. Only two officers, Inspector Michael Etim and Inspector Nelson Mbang, were found guilty of discreditable conduct for leaving their assigned posts and were demoted from Inspector to Sergeant. The panel also recommended they face a separate trial for that breach.
Controversy Over Investigation Quality
The panel criticised critical investigative shortcomings, including the failure to conduct an identification parade, properly scrutinise video evidence, or subject weapons to forensic examination. It noted that several armed police personnel present at the scene were neither identified nor interrogated, which undermined the prosecution’s case.
In a contentious twist, the panel suggested that the deceased officer, Inspector David Mgbada, who died from gunshot injuries during the incident, had unlawfully enrolled the two convicted officers into a political figure’s escort team without proper authority, a move it said warranted posthumous disciplinary consideration.
Public Funds and Internal Police Discipline Questions
The revelation that an officer under detention continued to receive full salary has raised questions about internal police accountability and financial practices, especially given wider national concerns over how police personnel are compensated and disciplined.
As the police force faces repeated public scrutiny over operational conduct, including allegations of extortion, arbitrary arrests, and misconduct in other states, critics say the Omuma panel’s findings underscore long-standing challenges in ensuring thorough, transparent investigations and fair disciplinary outcomes.