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A serving colonel in the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps (NAIC), Colonel Abdussalam A. Ude, has been killed by gunmen at his home located in the Army Post Service Estate, Kurudu, in the Federal Capital Territory.
Col. Ude, an indigene of Nsukka, Enugu State, was shot dead after putting up fierce resistance against heavily armed gunmen who attempted to abduct him shortly after he arrived home from work.
A member of the 50 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Ude was widely regarded as a dedicated professional and served in various counter-insurgency operations in the North East, as well as other international operations.
He spoke Arabic and other foreign languages fluently, which aided operations.
He and his colleagues were due for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General and their equivalents in the Navy and the Air Force later this year before his untimely death.
It was gathered that during the attack, the gunmen also opened fire on members of his family, leaving his wife, driver and security guard with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
The injured wife, driver and security guard were immediately rushed to hospital after the attack, where they are receiving treatment.
Colleagues of the deceased officer described him as a courageous and highly respected intelligence officer who remained composed even in the face of imminent danger.
One of the sources, who did not want to be named, 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.”
Meanwhile, the military and other security agencies have commenced investigations to track the killers of the officer, who was buried on Tuesday evening according to Islamic rites.
