In the midst of assassination conjecture, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has taken over the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder of a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) employee, Daniel Adefemi Okunade.
Okunade, a senior officer in the CBN’s Internal Audit Department, was shot in the head on his way home from work on Tuesday.
He was assassinated inside the Wisdom Supermarket, also known as Abdullahi Supermarket, in Koroduma, Nasarawa State, near Abuja, when he had gone to purchase bread and other groceries for his family.
Although Nasarawa State Police have investigated the killing, it has been reported that the Inspector General of Police has taken over the investigation at the request of the CBN’s management.
Aside from directing the probe to the IGP, the CBN is believed to be on the verge of transporting the deceased’s body from Mararaba Medical Center in Mararaba to Asokoro General Hospital in Abuja for security concerns.
According to our source, the Inspector General of Police shortly after granted the CBN’s request, he dispatched top detectives from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to the scene of the occurrence.
The detectives were alleged to have immediately interviewed the manager of the grocery, who had almost averted death by whiskers, following which the CCTV camera tape was played to obtain leads and firsthand information toward identifying and locating the perpetrators.
Three more people killed with the CBN staff have yet to be recognized. However, it was learned that one of them was a member of the Federal High Court in Abuja, but his identity was withheld for security reasons.
According to reports, the CBN expressed severe worries and suspicions about the assassination of the staff since his Toyota Venza automobile, which was parked outside the Supermarket, was not molested by the underworld men.
Aside from not touching anything physical in the grocery, the gunmen were claimed to have searched the CBN man after shooting him before fleeing when they realized he was their intended victim.
In addition to being a CBN employee, the late Okunade, who was born in Iree town near Osogbo in Osun State, is claimed to be the choirmaster of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Koroduma Community, better known as One Man Village.
The supermarket is still under lock and key as of the time of reporting this report to prevent exhibits from being tampered with.
Mr Umar Shehu Nadada, the Commissioner of Police (CP) in Nasarawa State, and his deputy in charge of the criminal investigation department were said to be completely cooperating with operatives from Abuja for a comprehensive investigation that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the crime.
DSP Ranham Nansel, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Nasarawa State Police Command, confirmed the killing to newsmen, saying that hoodlums stormed the shop around 8.45 p.m. and shot and killed four customers.
“I wish to confirm that on the second of January 2024 at about 8:45 hours some hoodlums numbering about four, attacked Wisdom supermarket at Adeyi Karu Local Government Area in Nasarawa state and killed four customers,” Nansel said.