Joint Investigation Panel Arrest, Parade 15 suspected killers of Ex-CDS, Air Chief Marshal Badeh; Says no political undertone in his murder.

Suspects Leaders: We mistook Badeh for just another rich man.

The Special Joint Investigative Panel set up by the Defence headquarters to unearth the circumstances that led to the death of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Baden,on December 18, 2018, on Wednesday declared there was no political motive in the killing of the erstwhile CDS.

The committee, led by Major General Bamidele Shafa, Director of Operations at the Defence Intelligence Agency,  while parading 15 suspects arrested out of the 20 involved with the death of the 4-star Airforce General, insisted that the killers were criminals who operated with the belief that Badeh was carrying huge sums of money in his car.

General Shaffa said the SIP finding showed that the action of the suspects was  purely an armed robbery incident adding “the attack and killing of Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, on the 18 December,2018, was criminal and does not have any political undertone”.

Recall that Badeh who has since been buried by the military authorities, was killed while returning from his farm, located at Gitata Village, in Panda Development Area, near Keffi, Nasarawa State.

Major General Bamidele Shafa said: “After a thorough and exhaustive investigation,the panel made the following findings.

“That the attack and killing of Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh,on the 18 December,2018,was criminal and does not have any political undertone.

“Twenty persons were involved in the crime,out of which 15 have been arrested. It is expected that the remaining suspects will be arrested in due course.

“The 15 suspects in custody confessed to their direct involvement in the crime.

“The suspects employed automatic weapons and locally made guns in the attack and killing of Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh. This was buttressed by the result of the autopsy examination and weapons recovered from the residences of the suspects.”

According to one of the suspects paraded and the gang’s ring leader,Aliyu Usman,aka Ciroma, said to be 35 years of age,confessed it was after killing Badeh that he knew he was a retired senior military officer.

“Aliyu Usman,aka Ciroma, is 35 years old. He is a major suspect and the ring leader of the notorious gang. He was arrested in in Kowo Panda Development Area of Nasarawa State.

 He confessed to how he was contracted by one Alhaji Maube Gaini living in Kare Village.

“Aliyu Usman played the role of leading the attack by recruiting six other gang members to attack and rob a wealthy man who owns a farm within Panda area. The wealthy man later turned out to be Air Chief Marshal Baden,rtd.

“He invited other gang members for the attack and supplied 5 AK 47 rifles and a single barrel gun. He also admitted that he carted away a black bag containing unspecified amount of money from the deceased vehicle,which he handed over to Abdullahi Ibrahim,aka Baba who also admitted to receiving the bag in question.

“On 18 December,2018, the former Chief of Defence Staff,Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh,(rtd),was gruesomely killed along Kachia-Kefi Highway while returning from his farm.

“Consequently,the Armed Forces of Nigeria,Nigeria Police and the Department of State Service sprang into action independently to uncover and apprehend and uncrver the perpetrators of this heinous act.

“In order to ensure a thorough and well-being coordinated investigation,the CDs, General Gabriel Olonisakin constittued a  joint investigation panel.investigation panel under the cordinatorn of the Defence Intelligence Agency to take over the investigation.

“The panel comprised 27 members, including an attorney,drawn from the Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters,Naval Headquarters, Headquarters Nigerian Air Force,Defence Intelligence Agency, Nigeria Police and the Department of State Service.”

“The panel was assisted by 21 investigators and operatives also drawn from the services and agencies.”

Continuing he said، “In carrying out its tasks, the panel was guided amongst others by the following terms of reference:

“Ascertain the circumstances leading to the attack and death of  Air Chief Marshal AS Badeh;identify and apprehend the persons involved in the attack and killing of the former CDS.

“Recover properties connected to the case;Make appropriate findings and recommendations as necessary;Guided by the terms of reference,

The panel proceeded with the investigation activities and subsequently;Accepted into custody 20 suspects earlier arrested by the services and agencies;

Accepted into custody all items/properties recovered in relation to the case by the services and agencies;

Obtained cautionary statements from the 20 suspects and cross examined them accordingly and categorized the suspects into key suspects, circumstantial suspects and accomplices. All suspects not directly linked to the case have since been released on the instruction of the convening authority.”

Shaffa said the probe panel interviewed 36 witnesses,visited the scene of the incident,searched suspects’ home where one AK 47 rifle, one dane gun and other dangerous items were recovered, conducted ballistic examination of associated fire arms, verified associated bank account and conducted autopsy examination on the deceased, respectively.

We mistook Badeh for an ordinary rich man, suspected killers’ ring leader

During an interview session with newsmen, the ring leader of Badeh’s killers, Aliyu Usman, aka Ciroma said they did not know Badeh was a high profile retired military officer, saying they mistook him for just a rich man.

“There was one Friday when we came to Gitata market. I was the one who gave the job to the gang. I was a taxi driver. So, one day I was driving my car into one village, Panda, in Nasarawa State. Then one Alhaji Maube Gani told me that there was one wealthy man who owned a farm in that area and that we could make money from him. I told him I never attacked any person in my life, but he said I should not worry.

 

“Then later on, I carried my car on my usual business and then, the Alhaji called me that the man had come to his farm as usual and we could come to attack him. So, I called the other members together and we met the Alhaji in the Gitata area.

 

“At that time of the operation, I did not know; none of us knew that the man was a military officer. There were seven of us who participated in the operation.

 

“We just entered the road, shot him and took away his freind.”

 

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