The Chairman, Security Committee, Kado Estate, Umar Usman Kotangora, has said that the policemen on duty at the estate failed to respond to his distress telephone calls during an attack at the estate on Wednesday in which Ibrahim Abubakar, head of protocol at the Nigeria Football Federation and his gateman, Umar Saidu were killed.
Kontagora stated that he called the policemen at the security post during the attack, but noted that the officers ignored his telephone calls while the attack lasted.
“During the attack at Abdulahi’s house, I called the policemen on the telephone, but they didn’t respond. We had to walk down to the police post where we found two policemen, one was sitting while his colleague was sleeping,” he told our correspondent on Thursday.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah, could not be reached for comment as he did not respond to calls. He has yet to respond to an SMS as of the time of filing this report.
Kotangora further explained that the estate had recorded many attacks by armed assailants, adding that this was the reason a police outpost was established at the estate’s main entrance.
Kotangora said two compounds were attacked about five months ago, adding that a resident was stabbed in the neck during the incident.
He stated that a vigilance group that was set up to complement police efforts was disbanded following the refusal of the residents to pay their wages.
He said, “We set up a vigilance group to stem the incessant armed attacks by hoodlums but we had to disband it because the residents refused to pay them. Some people have been calling to set up another vigilance group, but I said ‘no’ because they won’t pay the boys.”
Asked if he suspected insiders’ connivance, the estate security committee chairman said it is not possible for criminal gangs to carry out attacks in the estate without collusion of some residents.
He stated that a meeting had been fixed for Sunday with the Life Camp Divisional Police Officer to discuss new ways of securing the estate.
Our correspondent gathered that Abubakar was shot in the head through the window after the gang had broken all the glass windows.
It was learnt that the hoodlum killed the gateman, Saidu, who accosted them after they had scaled the fence into the compound.
A resident said, “It seems Umar recognised one of the assailants because we heard him saying, “you again?” Some minutes later, we heard a gunshot. It was after killing Umar that they went for Abdulahi. They could not gain entrance into his apartment, so they broke all the glass windows and shot him.”
A former tenant of the estate, Akose Aigbodeni said she was shocked to learn of Saidu’s demise, saying she had known him for about 15 years.
She said, “Umar used to be a teacher and he speaks all these big grammar. He has been a security man in the compound since 2004. I moved out of the compound in 2014, but I still had a relationship with Umar and everyone that had lived in the house had a relationship with him. He was loyal to the extreme.
“You know that gatemen are itinerant, but he had refused to leave the compound even though he wasn’t being paid much; he would complain, but he didn’t leave the job.”
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