Abraham Badru died from a shotgun wound to the chest on March 25. Pic: Met
The Metropolitan Police is offering a £20,000 reward in a desperate plea to find any suspect responsible for the murder of a young man in Hackney.
26-year-old Abraham Badru, son of a Nigerian MP, died from a shotgun wound to the chest on March 25, shortly after 11 pm, on Ferncliff Road.
The police described that moments after the shooting, a black male believed to be wearing a black Puffa-type jacket made off from the scene on foot, with a rucksack on his back, before getting on a bicycle. The bicycle is described as white and didn’t have any lights.
Detectives investigating the murder have taken 163 statements and followed up over 600 lines of inquiry and viewed 200 hours of CCTV footage. Officers believe there are still a number of witnesses to be traced and they have released a timeline of Abraham’s final movements in a bid for them to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh, said: “We are keen to trace each and every person who was in the area that night – even if you think you didn’t see or hear anything, we need to eliminate you from our inquiries.
“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a male cycling in the area around the time of the murder on a white bicycle – this could be the killer.
“But we also have a significant number of gaps in the jigsaw of what is known about Abraham himself. For instance, we believe Abraham had a number of girlfriends and we are keen to know who they were.
“Every day, Abraham’s family have to live knowing that the person who did this is still out there. Someone knows who killed Abraham; I have said the answer lies in the community and I still believe that.”
Abraham is the son of Dolapo Badru, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives. He worked as a personal trainer after completing his Masters degree in 2015.
He was hailed as a hero in his community after he intervened on a teenage girl being sexually attacked in 2009, and was awarded a national Police Bravery Award for his efforts.
In a statement released shortly after his death, his family spokesperson said: “Abraham has been snatched from us; he didn’t die of an illness, a freak accident, or of natural causes, no death is ever easy but he died because he was shot.
“He was shot by person/persons terrorising the peace of the community, terrorising innocent people, threatening our freedom on our streets and threatening our progression.
“We plead with any parent, siblings, extended family, friends, associates, in desperation that if you have any information to please come forward.”
The tag #AbrahamBadru has been added to many tributes posted via social media.
There have as yet been no arrests in connection with Mr Badru’s death.
A flyer published by the Met pertaining to the case. Pic: Met
Abraham’s murder is part of more than 100 murder investigations that have been launched by the Scotland Yard this year; the highest in this span for the past ten years.
According to The Times, if the rate of murders continues, more than 150 people could be killed by the end of the year. The Met opened 131 murder investigations last year, 103 in 2016, 112 in 2015 and 83 in 2014.
According to the Office for National Statistics, knife crime in particular, is at its highest rate in seven years.
Anyone with information should contact the incident room on 020 8785 8099, via 101 or @MetCC, or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
