to retire to serve his family, Kwara State Police Commissioner, Mr Chinwike Asadu, was murdered by assassins, Saturday night. His body was riddled with bullets 100 metres from his home after seeing off his guest.
His police orderly, Aloha Olaniyi and driver, Oliver Omeh, who were with him at the time of the incident, sustained bullet wounds and are said to be in critical condition at the NationalOrthopaedicHospital, Enugu.
The incident occurred at Amorji Nike, near the densely populated Abakpa Nike area in Enugu East Local Government Area within the state capital at about 10 p.m.
The Police Commissioner, who reportedly visited his home in Enugu, weekend, was driving into his private residence when the assailants, who might have laid ambush for him, attacked.
CP Asadu, according to sources, had a visitor whom he escorted with his driver and a police orderly posted to guard his residence from Abakpa Police Division, leaving behind the official escort team that came with him from Kwara State Police Command.
They were returning to the house after dropping the visitor when they suddenly noticed a bus trailing them as they turned into his street. The gunmen opened fire on them, killing the police commissioner instantly and injuring two of his aides.
Before the gunmen escaped, they reportedly took away the rifle of the orderly whose body was riddled with bullets. The orderly was shot on the chest, stomach, hands and leg while the driver was shot on both legs.
Asadu was to retire next month
Asadu was to retire from the Police next month. In a telephone chat with our Crime Editor, Mr Emma Nnadozie, on Friday, he excitedly spoke about his retirement and how he would return to Enugu to rest after his meritorious service to the country.
He had said: “I’m looking forward to my retirement. I’ll be out of the public glare for about one year before I come out again. I’ll just be home resting. It will afford me time to be closer to my family. I have served Nigeria and I need to serve my family now.”
Barely 24 hours after this, Asadu’s dream of serving his family was killed by the assailants.
The CP was in Port Harcourt for the opening ceremony of the Police Games and was said to have decided to “touch his home city, Enugu, on his way back to Ilorin when the murderers struck.”
According to a source, “the CP was driving into his personal residence in Amorji Nike after dropping a visitor that night. He was with a police orderly and his driver at the time of the incident. Just about 100 metres to his house they noticed that a bus was trailing them and before they knew what was happening, the gunmen opened fire and killed the CP instantly.
“The gunmen escaped in their bus before the CP’s escort team that was inside his compound noticed what was happening. When the escort team and sympathizers rushed to the scene, they met CP Asadu and his orderlies in a pool of blood. They were rushed to the NationalOrthopaedicHospital where doctors confirmed the CP dead. The other two policemen are now on admission at the hospital.”
Killers have murdered sleep —IG
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, in his reaction, yesterday, declared that the killers of Asadu had murdered sleep.
Force spokesman, CSP Frank Mba, in a statement on behalf of the IGP said: “It is the belief of the IGP that those who murdered CP Asadu have murdered sleep and they will find no rest. They will find no comfort and they will find no hiding place until they are fished out and brought to justice.”
According to Mba, IGP Mohammed Abubakar “described the incident leading to the death of Chinwike Asadu as most unfortunate and heart-rendering. Particularly coming at a time when the Federal Government, through the security agencies, has been doing everything possible to strengthen the security of the country and improve the quality of protection for lives and property.”
Vanguard gathered that the Commissioners of Police of Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Abia State Commands have also put their men on alert for possible interception of the killers.
Police launch manhunt for Assassins
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the incident when Vanguard contacted him, yesterday, describing the attack as very unfortunate.
According to him, the police would do everything possible to fish out the assailants as investigations into the bizarre incident have already commenced.
The new Police Commissioner in EnuguState, Mr. Tonye Ebitibituwa, was said to have directed his men to launch a manhunt for the gunmen within and outside the state capital.
Orderly, driver in stable condition
Meanwhile, doctors at the NationalOrthopeadicHospital, Enugu are battling to save the two wounded police officers.The orderly who was seriously battered by bullets, according to doctors, was said to be in a stable condition after the surgeries conducted on him throughout Saturday night. The driver was also said to be in a stable condition.
Meanwhile, the incident rattled the command, yesterday, as Asadu’s deputy and other top police officers sobbed profusely at the police officers mess, Ilorin when Vanguard visited.
The officers, both male and female, who all came in casual wears at about 1 p.m wailed uncontrollably
There was no official statement by the command at press time as the spokesman of the command, Olufemi Fabode, was said to be outside the state on official assignment.
It’s shocking, unfortunate — Gov Ahmed
In his reaction, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of KwaraState, described the death of the Police Commissioner as shocking and unfortunate.
Governor Ahmed, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, said: “Late CP Chinwe Asadu, in the discharge of his duty in KwaraState, contributed immensely to the sustenance of peace in the state and in the upholding of our values as a state of harmony.”
Ahmed also noted that it was particularly painful that late CP Asadu had become another index in the annals of the growing national insecurity, adding that it had become very expedient for us as a nation to rally round in finding enduring solution to the national malaise.
His last media assignment
The last media assignment of the slain Police Commissioner was on February 21,2013 when he paraded six highway robbery suspects who had been terrorising the state capital and its environs.
Three of the suspects found to be experts in highway robbery were also said to have specialised in stealing commercial motorcycles from their owners using ground pepper and other corrosive substances.
According to him,”three of the robbery suspects specialised in motorcycle theft. They steal motorcycles in KwaraState and sell them in neighbouring states.
“The hoodlums always pretend to be innocent passengers to hire the motorcycle and put pepper or other corrosive substances into the eyes of the riders and take the motorcycles away from them. But luck has run against them.”
