Gunmen have killed a retired controller of works at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, AbdulRazaq Ajani, in Ilorin on New Year’s Day, shortly after returning from a trip to Offa, Kwara State, where he had spent the festive season.
The attack occurred around 3 p.m. at his residence on Dele Gege Street, Aderoju area, off Obafemi Awolowo Road in the Tanke neighborhood of Ilorin.
Reports indicated that Ajani’s assailants trailed him from Offa before striking at his home.
The PUNCH reported that a family member recounted the harrowing incident during a visit to the residence.
He revealed that moments after Ajani drove into his compound with his immediate family, four young men, aged between 18 and 22, infiltrated the premises.
Footage from the home’s CCTV cameras showed two of the attackers loitering near the gate—one sipping from a plastic water bottle—while the other two strolled into the compound.
Ajani, noticing the strangers from one of the sitting rooms on the ground floor of the duplex, reportedly went to confront them at the main door.
“They appeared to be engaging him in a discussion until he was suddenly lying face down on the ground,” the family member explained, describing what was captured on the CCTV.
The attackers then brutally hacked the retired officer in front of his horrified family.
“The late engineer was attacked and hacked to death in the presence of his wife and children immediately on arrival from Offa, where he went for the Christmas and New Year break,” the witness added.
With their grim task completed, the assassins fled swiftly, leaving the family in shock. The house bore gruesome evidence of the attack, with bloodstains on the walls and the engineer’s brain matter on the floor.
Sympathizers flocked to the home to console the grieving family. Neighbors spoke warmly of Ajani, a retired civil engineer who had taken a contract position at the Ministry of Works last year, and his wife, a well-known baker in Ilorin who runs Reo Cakes.
A team of police officers later visited the crime scene.
Spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, DSP Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, confirmed the incident, stating, “Yes, the incident happened. I can confirm to you that there was a report that a retired controller of works was killed in Tanke area yesterday. Police have waded into the incident and have commenced investigation on it.”
When asked about arrests, Ejire-Adeyemi responded that no suspects had been apprehended, but investigations were ongoing.
