The horrifying incident occurred on Friday night in the Odumude Community, situated in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.
Bako Angbashim was a highly respected police personnel, well-known for his unwavering dedication to combat cultism, kidnapping, and violence in the state.
Having previously served at the Bori Police Divisional Headquarters in Khana LGA, where he successfully restored order, he was deployed this year to Ahoada communities plagued by ruthless cultists, as part of the effort to eradicate the menace in the area.
A source in Odumude, where Bako met his tragic end, shared that the cultists operating in the region had issued warnings to residents, instructing them not to report any criminal activities to security agencies.
However, upon his assumption of duty, Bako applied immense pressure on the cultists, dismantling their hideouts, and even persuading some of the cult leaders to voluntarily surrender their weapons.
Tragically, on that fateful Friday, the cultists in the area regrouped in the forest with the assistance of a spiritualist and ambushed the leader of the special police team, Bako Angbashim.
The Rivers State Police Command has expressed its deep regret over this unfortunate incident and has vowed to bring the culprits to justice. Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police and the spokesperson of the command, issued a statement detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident. The spokesperson of the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, in a statement narrated that Bako was killed in the forest in an ambush during an onslaught against cultists in Ahoada.
Iringe-Koko said: “In an unfortunate incident on 8th of September,2023, the DPO of Ahoada Division, SP Bako Angbashim, displayed exemplary courage during a mission to combat criminal activities in the Odumude Area of Ahoada East Local Government Area in Rivers State.
“SP Bako Angbashim, alongside his dedicated team, embarked on a raid of known criminal blackspots in the region. The operation led to a pursuit of criminals from their concealed hideouts. Tragically, as they were returning from this operation, they were ambushed by a significant number of criminals who opened fire on the brave officers.
