Metro
How retired army general, Uwem Udokwere was killed in his Abuja home
On Saturday, a 70-year-old retired brigadier general, Uwem Udokwere, was tragically stabbed to death by unidentified robbers who invaded his home at Sunshine Home Estate in Abuja.
According to a statement by Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, the incident occurred around 3 a.m. The Police Commissioner, Benneth Igweh, promptly ordered a thorough and discreet investigation into the circumstances surrounding this regrettable event.
Though details of the attack were not provided by the police, PREMIUM TIMES learned during a visit to the estate in the Lokogoma area that Mr. Udokwere, a father of two, was stabbed while trying to protect his family.
A security guard at the house, who wished to remain anonymous, reported seeing three robbers attempting to break into the compound. When Mr. Udokwere heard the commotion, he came down from the top floor of the duplex where his wife and two children were, and was immediately attacked and stabbed.
“I saw three of them trying to open the door, and he came down when he heard the sound. He was stabbed when he came out,” the security guard recounted.
The Vice Chairman of the Estate, Benedicta Odeigba, shared how the general’s wife contacted her when the robbers entered their home. “When they entered, the wife called me saying they had broken into their house. This is the third time they have attacked using the same route over the fence,” she said, pointing out that the robbers had been heard attempting to breach the property a few weeks earlier.
Mrs. Odeigba further detailed the ordeal of Ihakuo Umar, a security guard at the main entrance of the estate. Hearing suspicious sounds, Mr. Umar ran to investigate but was ambushed by robbers hiding in the gutter. He was struck on the head, lost consciousness, and was subsequently tied up and dumped in a security tank near the deceased’s home.
“He heard something and saw them rushing in. He didn’t realize they were hiding in the gutter. They hit him, and he fell, lost consciousness, and they dragged him to the security tank and taped his mouth,” Mrs. Odeigba explained.
Residents reported that five robbers hid around Mr. Udokwere’s house, with three entering the compound to rob the family. Chinedu Odeigba, who took Mr. Udokwere to the hospital, said the general died before reaching medical care due to significant blood loss. “When I carried him, he was already lifeless. The blood was too much, filling the car,” he said.
Danladi Umar, another resident, mentioned that he had called the police during the robbery, and they responded immediately.