Senate urges FG to probe Badeh’s assassination

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi and Musa Adamu

Senate has asked the federal government to investigate the assassination of the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, who was reported to have been shot dead in his vehicle on Tuesday, December 18 along Abuja-Keffi Highway, while returning from his farm.
The red chamber also passed a resolution that the security agencies should ensure the rescue of personal staff of the late Air Chief held hostage by the assailants.
The resolutions followed a motion moved to that effect by Senator Binta Masi Garba (APC Adamawa North) and co sponsored by the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC Kebbi South).
Senator Garba, in the motion said “the late Chief of Defence Staff died from gunshot wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked while returning from his farm alongside his driver while one of his personal staff is still held hostage by the assailants.
She informed the senate that the late Badeh retired in July 2015 in line with the military tradition a pulling-out parade held at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja where he gave his valedictory speech before proceeding to his home state of Adamawa.
Senator Garba stated that the deceased was born in Vimtim town in Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa State into a family of peasant farmers where he attended Vimtim Primary School and Villanova Secondary School before proceeding to the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 21 Regular Course on 3rd January, 1977 and was commissioned a Pilot Officer on 3rd July, 1979.
In his contribution, Senator Shehu Sani, who lamented that the killing was an addition to the cases of unresolved assassination, warned that the state must take the issue very seriously.
He said: “Badeh served his country from the beginning to the end, meritoriously. It is sad that he is a victim of assassination. He was killed few kilometers from the state capital. The state has failed Badeh. We should take the issue of security serious. He is a victim of an assissaination.
“This should bring to light a national discourse. If this can happen to Alex Badeh, it can happen to anybody. It is an addition to the cases of unresolved assassination. The state must take this issue very seriously. We owed him a duty to ensure that such a thing never happen again. The security agencies should deploy necessary security technologies to fish out the killers.”
The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, in his contributions, lamented that the killer, like the case of Bola Ige and others, might never be found.
He said “The killers might never be found because this is not the first time we would have such incidence. The time has come for us to ensure that assassins are found.
“Abuja, the FCT is becoming unsafe for the residents. We must ensure that all the CCTV are working in memory of Badeh and ensure that the killers are found.”
Ruling on the debate, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki said, “we need to do more in the area of security. Necessary measures must be taken to ensure that lives and properties are protected.”