In a major breakthrough, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested the mastermind behind the murder of Brigadier General Harold Udokwere, the National Chairman of the Retired Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The key suspect, Hashiru Baku, was apprehended in Kano State as he attempted to flee the country. Baku was an escapee from the Kuje Correctional Centre and had continued his life of crime despite being incarcerated, according to FCT Commissioner of Police Bennett Igweh.
“I will show you the organiser of the killing and the robbery,” Igweh told reporters while parading the arrested suspects. “He was in prison and during the Kuje Correctional Centre attack, he escaped. Instead of him to repent, he continued with more audacity.”
Udokwere, 65, was murdered by armed robbers who invaded his residence in Abuja on June 22, 2024. The police had earlier arrested four suspects – Ibrahim Rabiu, Nafiu Jamil, Aliyu Abdullahi and Mohammed Nuhu – in connection with the crime.
During the raid on Baku’s residence in Kano, the police recovered the general’s stolen gun, wristwatch, and his wife’s jewelry. They also found a stash of drugs, indicating the suspects’ involvement in the narcotics trade.
“We arrested him in Kano where he was trying to exit the country,” Igweh said. “We recovered these drugs in his residence. So, that’s what they take and they will continue to be high.”
The arrest of the mastermind behind the retired general’s murder is a significant development in the high-profile case. The police have vowed to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that justice is served for the slain officer and his family.
