Police Would Have Saved Late NNF Official If They Responded To Calls- Kotangora

The Chairman, Security Committee, Kado Estate, Umar
Kotangora, says policemen on duty at the estate failed to respond to his
distress calls during an attack on the estate.

The head of protocol at the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim
Abubakar, and his gateman, Umar Saidu, were killed during the attack on
Wednesday.

Kontagora stated on Thursday that he called the policemen at
the security post on the telephone during the attack, adding that the officers
ignored his phone calls while the attack lasted.

“During the attack at Abubakar’s house, I called the
policemen, 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 said.

Kotangora explained that the estate had recorded many
attacks by armed assailants, adding that it was the reason a police post was
established by the entrance to the estate.

Kotangora said two houses 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 the police’s effort was disbanded following the refusal of the
residents to pay security fees.

He said, “We set up a vigilance group to stem the incessant
armed attacks, but we had to disband it because the residents refused to pay
them. Some people have been calling for another vigilance group.”

Asked if he suspected insiders’ connivance, the estate
security committee chairman said it was 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 the glass windows in the
house.

It was learnt that the hoodlums also killed the gateman,
Saidu (Umar), who approached them after they had scaled the fence into the
compound.

A resident said, “It seems Saidu recognised one of the
assailants because we heard him saying, ‘you again?’ Some minutes later, we
heard a gunshot. It was after killing him that they went for Abubakar. 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 Umar’s demise, saying she had known him for about 15 years.

She said, “Umar (Saidu) used to be a teacher. He had been a
security man in the compound since 2004. I moved out of the compound in 2014,
but I still maintain my relationship with him and everyone that had lived in
the house I rented.”

It was learnt that the gateman, who hailed from Plateau State,
had two wives and 11 children.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah,
stated that the Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, had ordered the arrest
and detention of the two policemen on duty during the attack.

“I just drew the CP’s attention to the allegation and he has
ordered the arrest and detention of the personnel on duty.

“He has also asked the command’s provost to investigate the
allegation,” he said.

Punch