Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and Deputy Senate Leader Bala Ibn Na’Allah have expressed shock over the assassination of a former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and his driver.

Mr Badeh, a retired air chief marshal, was shot dead on Tuesday evening along the Abuja-Keffi road.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Charles Aniagwu, Governor Okowa condemned in strongest terms killing of the retired general who dedicated his lifetime to the service of his country.

The Governor tasked security agencies in the country to rise to the occasion by unmasking the assailants and bringing them to justice.

Okowa lauded Badeh for initiating the Optimizing Local Engineering (OLE 1 and 2) to focus on developing indigenous Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and other weapon systems that resulted in the production of the AMEBO project (aka GULMA 1 UAV) the first locally produced drone in Nigeria which allowed the Air Force survey and carry out attacks remotely without putting the lives of pilots at risk.

The statement further said: “Badeh initiated and constructed the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) extension complex fitted with a befitting joint operations room, conference hall, the office spaces, Penthouse to receive guests, Armed Forces DNA Laboratory, which has allowed for easy identification of casualties of war, the Defence Space Agency, commissioning of 30 Gun Boats in the Niger Delta region amongst others.

“The killing of Alex Badeh by unknown gunmen is quite unfortunate and a terrible news just like the case of General Idris Alkali who was abducted and later killed. I appeal to security agencies to work together and unmask those involved in the heinous crime that led to the death of the retired Defence Chief.

“Our country is being bedeviled by one manner of killings and abductions or the other. We never knew that it would deteriorate to a level where a former Chief of Defence Staff would be murdered in such a gruesome manner.”

“It is my prayer and the prayers of all Deltans that the almighty God will give the family the fortitude to bear this loss,” Okowa further said.

Na’Allah, on his part, condoled Badeh’s family, the people of Adamawa State and the Chief of Air Staff over the killing.

He called on security operatives to investigate the killing and ensure the arrest and prosecution of the culprits.

“The news of the killing of the former Air Chief , Chief of Defence Staff and indeed many others happening in this country is alarming,” he said.

Mr Badeh before his death was facing charges for alleged N3.9 billion fraud while in office during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

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