The son of a Nigerian politician has been shot dead outside his home in London over the weekend, becoming the tenth murdered victim of the ‘gun free’ city’s violent crime wave in just 12 days.
Abraham Badru, 26, was a university graduate, charity volunteer, and recipient of a police bravery award as a teenager for rescuing a woman from a sex attack.
His father, Dolapo Badru, 62, is a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Nigerian’s equivalent to an MP in the House of Commons.
The young man was shot at close range where he lived in Dalston, near Hackney in east London. His mother arrived at the scene and collapsed on the ground in tears, as her son died beside her, The Times reports.
So far this year, 19 men under the age of 25 have been murdered in London, three of them in Hackney.
Under left-wing Mayor Sadiq Khan, the capital has seen the sharpest rise in knife crime in the country, rocketing by a massive 38 per cent in just one year.
And despite guns being for all intents and purposes outlawed, firearms attacks are also surging, with 2,551 incidents last year, representing a rise of 16.3 per cent on the previous 12 months.
Witnesses to the killing of Mr. Badru said they heard gunshots shortly after he stepped out of his car. “As soon as I heard the bang, I knew it was a gunshot. I’m ex-military and knew that couldn’t be a firework,” said a neighbour.
“I went to my balcony and saw a man slumped over on the ground at the back of a car. There was just one shot and a cry of pain. No speeding scooter and no speeding car. I didn’t see anyone make off.”
Speaking to The Times, friend Luther Washington insisted the killing was “premeditated” by someone “jealous” of Mr. Badru’s wealth.
“It wasn’t gangs because Abraham wasn’t caught up in that,” he said. “He’s not gang affiliated and was a responsible guy. It wasn’t drugs either – when we went out he wouldn’t even smoke a cigarette.
“It must have been someone hating him out of jealousy. His father is a very rich politician and Abraham has a lot of his own money. He had a house, a car, a business.
“He didn’t do it intentionally but even the way he dressed would make people jealous.”