Gunmen, on Monday night, assassinated Col Abdussalam A. Ude, a senior military commander, during a suspected kidnapping attempt at his home in Badna, New Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.
The incident occurred in the border village neighbouring the Federal Capital Territory, leading to initial allegations that the attack took place in Abuja.
The gunmen allegedly invaded the officer’s home during a downpour and attempted to kidnap him, but he resisted before being shot many times.
A local journalist and a community leader confirmed the gunmen attack to the press on Wednesday.
“They came during the rain. They wanted to kidnap him, but he resisted. He was shot multiple times,” one of the sources said.
The source also stated that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Kurudu visited the scene on Tuesday and evacuated the victim’s body to a mortuary.
“The DPO of Kurudu was there earlier today. He took the corpse to a mortuary,” the source added.
When contacted earlier, the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, mentioned that the incident did not occur within the command’s jurisdiction.
“This incident didn’t happen under our jurisdiction. It happened in Nasarawa. Contact the Nasarawa command,” she said.
The spokesperson for the Nasarawa State Police Command, SP Ramhan Nansel, had also stated that he was not aware of the incident at the time of filing this report.
However, in a statement made later on Tuesday, the FCT Police Command acknowledged that the attack took place in Badna, New Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, rather than the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the command, Ahmed Sanusi, Commissioner of Police, initiated an investigation as soon as allegations of the occurrence circulated online.
“Investigations revealed that the incident occurred in Badna, New Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, and not within the jurisdiction of the FCT Police Command as falsely portrayed in the circulating publications,” the statement read.
The command raised concern about what it characterised as inaccurate reports attributing the incident to Abuja, adding that such stories caused unnecessary alarm among people.
“The command is concerned that some blogs and media outlets, in an attempt to gain traction, have deliberately attributed the incident to the FCT, thereby creating unnecessary panic, heightening public anxiety, and misinforming residents of the nation’s capital,” it stated.
The police also revealed that the commissioner of police had directed the deployment of operational and intelligence assets to areas bordering Nasarawa State to prevent criminal groups from invading the FCT.
“The CP FCT command has proactively ordered the immediate deployment of operational and intelligence assets to border communities adjoining the FCT and Nasarawa State, to prevent any attempt by criminal elements to infiltrate the Federal Capital Territory or perpetrate any criminal activity within the nation’s capital,” the statement added.
The command requested media outlets and members of the public to verify security-related material before publishing, saying that unsubstantiated claims weaken public trust and instil undue panic.
When contacted, the acting director of army public relations, Col Appolonia Anele, stated that a statement on the subject was being drafted.
