The family of the murdered former chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh has said that the police is “cooking up stories” over his killing and holding the wrong people
in their bid to hide the real killers.
The family said this to the Vanguard on Thursday Badeh’s Abuja residence, after the police released a video, in which one of the suspects arrested for the murder of the ex-CDS, allegedly confessed that they killed Mr. Badeh because he and his gang wanted to rob him of the huge amount of cash he had with him, which the suspect claimed that he wanted to use in paying for a land.
Before the family refuted the story, Nigerians had also taken to Social Media, saying that the suspect did not look and sound credible, worrying that the Nigeria Police could have paraded the wrong people.
Badeh’s family said, contrary to the claim, the late ex-CDS did not discuss any issue about the acquisition of land, neither was he with up to N500 on the day he was murdered, saying the claim was a “cook-up story” to deceive the public and hide the killers and their intentions.”
A family member, who pleaded to be protected told the newspaper, ”We called you here because we have been following your report in Vanguard since our son and brother, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, was killed by yet-to-be identified people.
“We are not happy with the report being put out to the public there on the circumstances that led to his death. We as a family, believe that some people responsible for his death want to deceive the public by hiding the facts of what happened, how it happened and those responsible.
“I want to emphatically tell you here that contrary to the claim that he went to his farm on the fateful day with huge amount of money to buy additional farmland, there was nothing like that. In fact, he had no money on him that day, not even N500 in the vehicle.
“As I told you, no money, I repeat, no money was in that vehicle. Not even N500 was in that vehicle on that day he was killed. I repeat that no N500 not even N1000 was in that motor he drove that he was killed that day.
“Before his death, a villager who knew he was on the farm that day went to meet him to get money to buy paracetamol tablet for his headache but my brother could not afford the money for him. Instead, he asked the person if he could go to Panda Market.
“When the man said he could, our brother told him to pick 10 mudus (measured quantity) of maize to sell in the market and buy drug for himself, saying that was the only help he could render to him since he had no cash to give out.
“He took time to narrate to the person that as he was talking to him, there was a huge refuse dump at his house in Abuja and the people responsible for packing it, that is the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, had refused to do so because he had no money to pay for the packing.
“He added that his cook and the cleaner in his house had not been paid, explaining further that those were the reasons he went to farm on that day to pick some bags of harvested maize, like 100 bags, to sell so as to raise money to settle those issues.
“Again, he told his workers on the farm that since they have blocked his pension, his only source of getting money, only three out of the eight working for him can remain as he wouldn’t have money to pay all the eight anymore. Ex Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, aides killed in Abuja.
“He said ‘I’m sorry to tell you this but this is the reality, I can only retain three workers now, the five of you have to go so that I won’t be owing you salaries. He said I can be selling maize and be paying salary for the three that I will retain.’ Why he went to the farm.
“He did not have N500 on that day they killed him, I swear to God. All this you are hearing is a cook-up story. He went to farm to pick some bags of corn to sell so that he could raise money to pay the workers on the farm, the cook and cleaner in the house as well as for the packing of refuse dump here in the house.
“You can see the huge refuse dump here near the wall. If you see this refuse, they had to shift it from this wall closer to the primary school there because of the odour oozing out from the waste bins. You can see the dustbins there (pointed to it).
“So where did they get the information they released to the public from?”
The Nigeria police had announced the arrest of suspects who allegedly killed Badeh on Wednesday, promising to arraign them on Thursday.
That arraignment was later postponed, with the police claiming that to do so could jeopardize investigation into the matter.
Force Public Relations Officer, acting Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Jimoh Moshood, on why the parade was being shifted, said, “The investigation into the killing of the former, Chief of Defence Staff is being intensified to arrest other suspects still at large.
“The parade of the two principal suspects and the three other gang members now in Police custody will not come up so as not to jeopardize the on-going investigation.
“All the suspects will be paraded before the media and the public on completion of investigation into the matter. The Nigeria Police Force will not relent nor leave any stone unturned in getting to the root of the killing and bring all perpetrators to justice.”
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