It Was Targeted Assassination, Brother-In-Law Speaks On Army Officer’s Killing

The family of slain military intelligence officer Colonel Abdulrazaq Abdulkareem Udeh, has rejected reports that he was killed while resisting a kidnapping attempt in Abuja, insisting that the senior officer was deliberately targeted and assassinated.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Ali Chukwudi, who identified himself as the deceased’s brother-in-law, described the attack as a calculated murder rather than a failed abduction.

“Yesterday, Nigeria failed one of its finest,” Chukwudi wrote.

“My brother-in-law, Colonel Abdulrazaq Abdulkareem Udeh, a senior intelligence officer who dedicated years of his life to defending this nation, was not killed while resisting a kidnapping, as some reports may have claimed. He was deliberately targeted and brutally assassinated.”

He said the attackers shot the officer in the head, killing him, and also opened fire on other members of the household.

“The attackers shot him in the head, killing him. They also shot his wife — my sister — in the leg. The driver and the gateman were both shot in the legs as well. As I write this, my sister is in the hospital, fighting to survive,” he stated.

Chukwudi said the late colonel had served Nigeria loyally for years and was only months away from a promotion he described as well-deserved.

“After years of loyal service to Nigeria, and just some months before his well-deserved promotion, his life was cut short in the most horrific way,” he wrote.

He further described the killing as a direct attack on a patriotic officer.

“This was not just another tragic incident. It was a calculated attack on a man who served his country with honour,” he added.

Calling for justice, Chukwudi urged authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation.

“A thorough, transparent, and uncompromising investigation must be carried out to identify, arrest, and prosecute every person responsible for this heinous crime. Justice must not only be done — it must be seen to be done.”

He concluded with prayers for the deceased and his injured sister.

“May Allah grant Colonel Abdulrazaq Abdulkareem Udeh Al-Jannah Firdaus, grant his family the strength to bear this unimaginable loss, and grant my sister complete healing. Ameen.”

The family’s account contrasts with earlier reports that the officer was killed after resisting gunmen who attempted to abduct him at his residence in the Kurudu area of the Federal Capital Territory.

LEADERSHIP reports that Security sources had told journalists that the assailants ambushed the officer shortly after he arrived home on Monday evening and allegedly tried to take him away.

According to the preliminary account, the colonel fought back despite being outnumbered and was subsequently shot multiple times at close range.

The attack also left his wife, driver and security guard with gunshot injuries, and they were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

A source familiar with the initial investigation had said: “He resisted them. From what investigators have gathered, they wanted to take him away, but he fought back. Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price.”

Before his death, Colonel Udeh r served in several strategic positions in military intelligence and counter-terrorism within the Armed Forces.

He participated in operations against insurgents in the North-East and was also deployed on specialised international assignments, including missions in Chad and France.

The killing has renewed concerns over attacks on serving and retired military personnel in the Federal Capital Territory, recalling the June 2024 murder of retired Brigadier General Uwem Harold Udokwere at his residence in Lokogoma, Abuja