Why ex-Chief of Defence Staff, Badeh, was killed

The circumstances surrounding the assassination of a former
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (rtd),
will soon be revealed as Special Forces of the Nigeria Police Force
(NPF) have arrested two of the suspected killers. A security source
in Nasarawa, who confirmed the breakthrough to New Telegraph in
confidence yesterday, said: “Two out of the (suspected) killers
have been arrested.

“They were arrested between Abuja and Nasarawa (State).” Some of
the suspects have explained why Badeh was killed. It was learnt
that the suspects collected N2.5 million ransom to release Badeh’s
friend, Engr. Joseph. New Telegraph learnt that Operatives of the
Inspector- General of Police, Ibrahim Idris’ Special Intelligence
Response Team (IRT), arrested Badeh’s killers. The suspects were
arrested between Sunday and Monday.

A competent source told New Telegraph that the suspected killers
would soon be paraded in Abuja. Many had feared that Badeh was
assassinated. But a source told this newspaper last night that the
December 18th operations that led to the death of the former Chief
of Air Staff was a robbery operation that went awry.

Sources told New Telegraph that the suspects confessed that they
had no intention of killing Badeh when he was accosted, but his
driver’s refusal to stop when he was flagged down made them to open
fire on his convoy. A source familiar with the operations told New
Telegraph that what triggered the operations was the money in
Badeh’s possession. The money was to be used to purchase an expanse
of land for his farm. “We learnt from local people near the farm of
the ex-CDS that Badeh had in his possession, an undisclosed amount
of money, which he had wanted to use in buying a second farm land
beside his farm off the Kaduna-Keffi Road at the time he was
killed. “His attackers, who were said to have gotten pre-knowledge
of the said transaction, were said to have staged a robbery attack
with the intention of dispossessing him of the money.

“The gunmen were seven in number when they accosted the ex-CDS,
some of them were putting on military uniforms while others were on
mufti. They set up a roadblock and when the ex-CDS got to their
location, they flagged him down and the driver refused to stop and
they started shooting at the vehicle. They injured his driver,
killed the General and kidnaped his friend known as Engr.
Joseph.

“The gunmen made away with the money in the General’s
possession. It’s quite surprising that his military escort
following him behind refused to fight back when they attacked the
General,” a source told one of our correspondents. Sources in
Nasarawa State explained that Badeh became a victim of the attack
because the man who owned the farm land he had wanted to buy asked
the former CDS to bring the cash back the following day to Keffi
town because of safety.

“Unknown to these men, one of the middlemen in this transaction
had contacted Fulani bandits/kidnappers to attack and rob whoever
was in possession of that money, hence they waited in the bush
along the Keffi-Kaduna road for the jeep carrying the money to
come. “The middleman has been in the transaction from the inception
and he was aware that Badeh was going to pay in cash,” the source
said. The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had
immediately after the incident ordered operatives at the IRT,
Special Tactical Squad (STS) and the Nasarawa State Police Command
to fish out Badeh’s killers. Consequently, a crack team of
operatives was deployed to the forest along Kaduna-Keffi Road
between Zango-Gitata and Tudun-Uku Area, to fish out the
killers.

The killers were believed to be Fulani bandits terrorizing that
area. The former CDS was killed on December 18, by unknown gunmen,
on his way back from his farm located along the Abuja-Keffi road.
This was as facts had emerged that the suspected assassins, who
shot dead the late retired four-star General, spared his security
details, who were said to be four in number. New Telegraph had
reported exclusively, that the ex-CDS’ driver, whose identity could
not be confirmed as at the time of filing this report, was shot in
the arm, and is currently receiving treatment at Nigeria Air Force
hospital in Abuja. However, the former CDS’ farm manager and
engineer, who was abducted during the attack, has since been
released, after ransom running into millions was said to have been
paid.

Consequent upon the killing, President Muhammadu Buhari had
ordered a comprehensive investigation and arrest of suspects. The
President’s directive was conveyed in a statement by his Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina. According to
Adesina: “Noting that the late Mr Badeh, who was also a former
Chief of Air Staff, attained professional fulfillment in his over
three decades military career, President Buhari regrets that he
fell victim to incidence of violent and fatal attacks on the
nation’s highways. “He directs security agencies to find the
killers of the 15th Chief of Defence Staff and bring them to face
the full force of the law, while ensuring greater security and
safety for all users of the country’s roads.”

Culled from Telegraph

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