Citizenship News
* He refused to go quietly.
A serving Nigerian military intelligence officer, Colonel Abdussalam A. Ude, was shot dead in his own compound in Kurudu, Abuja, on Monday evening after putting up fierce resistance against gunmen who stormed his residence in an attempted abduction.
A report by PRNigeria quoted security sources to have said that the attackers ambushed the senior officer the moment he stepped out of his vehicle after returning home.
Outnumbered and under fire, Col. Ude fought back.
He did not surrender.
“They wanted to take him away, but he fought back,” a source familiar with the preliminary investigation said. “Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price.”
—Attack on the Home Front—
According to accounts gathered, the assailants opened fire immediately, then moved in to drag the officer away. Col. Ude resisted with everything he had.
In the struggle, the gunmen shot him multiple times at close range. His resistance denied them their target alive.
But the violence did not end there. The gunmen also sprayed bullets into the house, hitting members of his family.
His wife, his driver, and his security guard sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries. All three were rushed to hospital where they are receiving treatment.
—A career cut short—
Col. Ude, an indigene of Enugu State, was described by colleagues as a dedicated and highly respected intelligence officer. He was due for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General next year.
To those who served with him, he was the definition of composure under pressure — a trait that held, even in his final moments.
“Security sources described Colonel Ude as a courageous and highly respected intelligence officer who remained composed even in the face of imminent danger,” sources said.
—Manhunt Underway—
The motive behind the attack remains unclear. Security agencies have launched an investigation and commenced efforts to track and apprehend the perpetrators behind the killing.
Kurudu, a fast-developing district on the outskirts of Abuja, has in recent months seen rising cases of targeted abductions.
The killing of a serving senior intelligence officer inside the Federal Capital Territory has raised fresh concerns about security in the nation’s capital.
For now, a family mourns. A service grieves one of its own. And a city asks how gunmen could strike so close to the seat of power, and leave with blood on their hands.
