Murdered CSP: Police arrest 43 suspects, impound 19 motorcycles

… as Odumosu vows to catch killers

Juliana Francis

IGP, Baba

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 43 people over their alleged involvement in the shooting and hacking to death of a Chief Superintendent of Police, (CSP), Mr. Kazeem Abonde, at the Ajao Estate area of the metropolis on Thursday.

This was also as the state’s commissioner of police, Hakeem Odumosu vowed to leave no stone unturned in order to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

According to a Police Situation Report sighted by our reporter, the police did not only arrest 43 people for participating in the gruesome murder of Abonde, they also impounded 19 motorcycles.

It was also gathered that the remains of the CSP had been deposited at the Mainland General Hospital Mortuary, awaiting autopsy.

The report further stated: “The deceased’s family has been contacted while a befitting burial arrangement is being put in place by the command in conjunction with the family. Also, thorough investigation into the incident has been initiated and progressing. The command will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

It will be recalled that CSP Abonde, a lawyer, was killed by rampaging motorcycle riders at the Ajao Estate area when he led a police team to ensure commercial motorcycle riders kept to restricted routes.

For reasons yet unknown, the motorcycle riders attacked the policemen and overpowered them. While Abonde’s men scattered and scampered for safety, the lawyer was left in the midst of the angry riders.

The riders snatched his service pistol from him, shot him and then attacked him with machetes. He was killed nine months to his retirement from the police force. Abonde said to have started his law programme while he was just a constable.

The Police sitrep, dated September, 24, was tagged, “attack on policemen, death while in the service SPOs.”

The report stated: “Information received from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Ajao Estate revealed that on September 23, at about 4: pm, a combined team of policemen while on raids of criminal hideouts within Ajao Estate, and clampdown on commercial motorcycle operators plying restricted routes in the area, come under a heavy attack by the motorcycle operators and other hoodlums. The motorcycle operators and hoodlums resisted the police operation. The hoodlums attacked the teams with machetes, stones and other dangerous weapons. In the process, the leader of the teams, AP/NO. 57815, CSP Kazeem Sunmonu Abonde, aged, 54, operation officer 1, department of operation, State Head quarter, Ikeja, was severely ‘macheted’ and died at the spot. Two patrol vans were vandalized. However, reinforcement teams mobilized to the scene and successfully brought the situation under control and restored normalcy. Forty three suspects that participated in the attack were arrested, while 19 motorcycles were impounded.”