A senior Nigerian Army officer, Colonel Abdussalam A. Ude, was shot dead by suspected kidnappers during an attack on his residence in Badna, New Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The incident occurred on Monday night in the border community adjoining the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), initially leading to reports that the attack took place in Abuja.
According to eyewitnesses and community sources, the armed assailants stormed the officer’s residence during a heavy downpour in an apparent attempt to abduct him. However, the senior military officer reportedly resisted the attackers before he was shot multiple times.
“They came during the rain. They wanted to kidnap him, but he resisted. He was shot several times,” a resident told journalists.
A community leader confirmed the incident, adding that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Kurudu visited the scene on Tuesday and evacuated the officer’s body to a morgue.
“The DPO of Kurudu was there earlier today. He took the corpse to a morgue,” the source said.
Earlier, the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, clarified that the incident did not occur within the FCT.
“This didn’t happen under our jurisdiction. It happened in Nasarawa. Contact the Nasarawa command,” she said.
Similarly, the spokesperson for the Nasarawa State Police Command, SP Ramhan Nansel, initially stated that he was unaware of the incident when contacted.
However, the FCT Police Command later issued an official statement confirming that its investigation established the attack occurred in Badna, New Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and not within Abuja as earlier reported.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, ordered an immediate investigation following reports circulating online.
“Investigations revealed that the incident occurred in Badna, New Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, and not within the jurisdiction of the FCT Police Command as falsely portrayed in the circulating publications,” the statement said.
The command expressed concern over reports wrongly linking the attack to Abuja, warning that such misinformation could trigger unnecessary panic among residents of the nation’s capital.
It accused some media platforms and blogs of publishing inaccurate reports to attract attention, saying the false claims heightened public anxiety and undermined confidence in security information.
To strengthen security, the Commissioner of Police directed the immediate deployment of operational and intelligence personnel to border communities between Nasarawa State and the FCT to prevent criminal elements from infiltrating the capital.
“The CP FCT Command has proactively ordered the immediate deployment of operational and intelligence assets to border communities adjoining the FCT with Nasarawa State to prevent any attempt by criminal elements to infiltrate the Federal Capital Territory or perpetrate any criminal activity within the nation’s capital,” the statement added.
The police also urged media organisations and members of the public to verify security-related information before publication to avoid spreading misinformation.
Meanwhile, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, said an official statement on the killing was being prepared.
