Badeh Didn’t Visit Abba Kyari Before His Death — Security Sources

Security sources in Aso Villa on Sunday denied reports that Air
Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS),
who was shot dead by unknown gunmen along Abuja-Keffi Road last
week, met with Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu
Buhari, in Aso Villa, three weeks before his death.

A national newspaper had reported that Aisha Buhari recently
took the late Badeh to Kyari in Abuja in order to assist him in his
trial but that he (Kyari) asked him to call back.

According to the report, “Badeh stated that Aisha Buhari then
took him to Kyari, but the COS was non-committal. He asked the
ex-CDS to call him back, but he (Kyari) was unreachable since the
meeting which took place about three weeks ago.”

But speaking with Daily Independent Not Nairalaw, a top
security source – who spoke on condition of anonymity – said from
available records, there was no evidence that Badeh visited Aso
Villa in the last one month.

“For visitors to Aso Villa, there must be evidence of visit as
there are daily records of activities such as signing of visitor’s
register.

“From our findings, there is no iota of truth in the report that
the late Badeh visited Aso Villa in the last one month.

“We have checked all the security records and there is nothing
to prove that the late Badeh visited Aso Villa,” the source
said.

Also speaking, a close associate of Abba Kyari called on the
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to ensure a thorough
investigation of the murder of the former defence chief, saying,
“All the talks about him visiting Aso Villa is a calculated attempt
by some people to divert attention from finding Badeh’s
killers.”

He added that the last time Kyari sighted Badeh was a very long
time ago when they met at an event.

It would be recalled that Badeh was in his Toyota Tundra truck
with registration number, MUB 396 AA, when he was shot by unknown
gunmen at a location in Gitata community on Keffi-Bade road,
Nasarawa State.

Some Gitata residents said the deceased was coming from his farm
between Koso and Kugwaru communities when he was shot.

Speaking at the weekend, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, President of the
Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria
(AISSON), urged the Directorate of Air Provost of the Nigerian Air
Force to lead investigation of the murder of the former defence
chief.

Ekhomu, in a statement, said: “The fact that ACM Badeh was a
former head of the Air Force community means that the commitment of
Air Provost Detectives will be greater in the hunt for the
perpetrators.

“The Directorate of Air Provost should emulate the dogged
determination and investigative skill which the Nigerian army
displayed in unravelling the assassination of Major General Idris
Alkali (rtd) in Plateau State.”

On how the assassins carried out the hit, the security expert
said: “They executed an ambush on the General and his security
detail. The goal of this close-quarter combat tactic was to
overwhelm a superior force and leave the crime scene before
reinforcements arrive.

“Ambush is one of the oldest but lethal tactics of warfare. In
Gen. Badeh’s attack, the targeted violence resulted in an
assassination, a kidnap, and several casualties.

“They were obviously on a mission to kill the General. So, it
wasn’t bandits who were operating on that notorious stretch of the
highway.

“The killers must have learned that the General frequented his
farm, they must have monitored him to know the routes and times he
travelled to Keffi, the composition of his protective detail.

“Given the amount of surveillance conducted by the killers,
there must be observable evidence out there that can be used to nab
them and bring them to book.

“This murder mystery must be resolved and the family must get
closure,” Ekhomu added.

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