On Saturday, the Rivers State Police Command handed over the body of slain SP Bako Angbashim, former Ahoada Divisional Police Officer, to the family.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu performed the handing over of the body of Angbashim to the family.
This was done after a brief ceremony at the police officers’ mess in Port Harcourt
CP Disu said the late DPO served in the command tirelessly and dedicated himself to eradicating crime in the state.
“He employed all his skills and experience to apprehend 2Baba and his associates alive, and was on the verge of a breakthrough when he met the tragic event that resulted in his murder and dismemberment.
“Following the gory incident, the command was initially unable to recover the late SP Bako Angbashim’s remains.
"However, we are now pleased to announce that we have successfully recovered his remains.
“Investigations into the murder of the late SP Bako Angbashim led the command to launch an assault on those responsible, 2Baba and his cohorts.
"The operation resulted in the neutralization of the suspects and the subsequent recovery of remains believed to be those of the late officer.
"To ensure closure for the bereaved family and the police, a thorough examination was conducted to confirm the identity of the recovered remains."
CP Disu also said: “In collaboration with the immediate family of the late SP Bako Angbashim, DNA samples were collected and analyzed by the Forensic Department at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos.
"After weeks of meticulous sample preparation and genetic matching, the results revealed a 99.99% probability that the DNA profile extracted from the recovered remains matched that of the deceased’s mother, Embegbu Angbashim, and brother, Timothy Angbashim.
"This conclusively confirmed that the individual whose remains were submitted for examination was indeed the late SP Bako Angbashim.
“I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalaiyi Fubara, who kept his word and redeemed the N100 million pledge to those who provided credible information that led to the neutralization of the suspect, 2Baba, and the recovery of his corpse which was hidden by his gang members.
"I also want to thank the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun for his encouragement and support throughout the operation.”
Elder brother of the deceased, Dogo Agbashim received the body on behalf of the family.
Dogo thanked the state police command for the efforts made to recover the corpses adding that his brother served his country meritoriously as a police officer.
Late SP Bako Angbashim was ambushed and killed on September 8, 2023 by a gang of criminals at a hideout in Ahoada, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
