Detectives investigating the murder of Nigerian House of
Reps son, who was gunned down in Dalston are now offering a £20,000
reward for information.
Abraham Oluwatosin Dolapo Badru,aged 26, was found on
Sunday, March 25, at Ferncliff Road, E8, suffering from critical gun
shot wounds. He died at the scene.
A post-mortem examination took place at Poplar on Wednesday
28 March and gave the cause of death as a shotgun wound to the chest.
So far detectives know that Abraham was approached by a
suspect or number of suspects who shot him without warning. Officers are
talking to witnesses and examining the scene to build up a picture of
the suspect or suspects, what they looked like and in which direction
they made off.
Just before the incident, Abraham had parked his black CLA
AMG Mercedes in Ferncliff Road opposite the green and just after the
alleyways that lead to Langford Close and Foxley Close, his car was
facing Downs Park Road. Abraham then opened the boot of the car to look
for a drink, while on the phone to a friend. He was then shot.
Following the sound of a gunshot, a black male believed to
be wearing a black puffer type jacket, came from the rear of Abraham’s
car and walked along Ferncliff Road generally towards Downs Park Road.
It is believed he then entered the alley way that leads to Langford
Close.
DCI Noel McHugh is leading the investigation. He said:
"The answer to Abraham's death lies in the community. I
know that people are talking about what happened; it is something truly
out of the ordinary, a community hero being murdered. People will have
their suspicions of who is responsible and I need them to make that call
today, to my incident room with any information, no matter how small.
They can also call Crimestoppers anonymously.
"I totally understand there will be apprehension in making
that call, especially when the individual has demonstrated such violence
already, but I will deal with all information with the upmost
sensitivity. We are offering substantial award of up to £20,000 for
information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the offender(s).
"This is a tragic and shocking incident - a talented young
man with ambitions and so much to live for cut down in his prime. His
family and friends cannot comprehend what has happened, and there are no
words that can adequately describe the pain Abraham’s family are going
through.
"We need to build up a picture of Abraham's life, who all
his friends were, girlfriends and any disputes that he may have had. We
want to focus on his movements from Saturday up to the point of his
death - were you with Abraham, did you speak to him?
Abraham had not planned to be home, and his return was due
to a change in plans. We need the local residents to think back; do you
remember someone loitering, someone not known and possibly out of place.
It is possible that you may have seen them on more than one occasion.
"I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who was in
Ferncliff Road and the surrounding roads between around 22:30hrs and
23:15hrs. Did you see anyone loitering, any vehicles or people that
looked out of place? Abraham had a nice car, it would probably have
caught your eye parked in a street - did you see it that night?
"If you were in these roads at the time of the shooting, it
is really important that we hear from you to account for your movements
and to exclude you from the investigation.
"Abraham was a striking young man and a real contributor to
society. He was awarded a National Police Bravery Award in 2009 after
intervening in a rape and then giving evidence in court. Such courage
and an overwhelming sense of what was right and wrong clearly
demonstrated his strength of character. Abraham's family 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.
"Whose life will they take next? How do we know they
haven’t repeated the same actions else where? This person/persons can’t
not be allowed to live in the camouflage of peace-loving people, people
who want to live life to the fullest and do the best for their
community. They have to be apprehended and face justice, we need to know
why they murdered Abraham.
"We plead with any parent, siblings, extended family,
friends, associates, in desperation that if you have any information to
please come forward. No matter how minute or irrelevant you may think it
is, it could be crucial information for the police, anything that can
help move this investigation forward is welcomed, but mostly importantly
information that can lead to an arrest, in which you will be rewarded
for. The pain of losing a child is unbearable, we never imagined this
kind of loss and we still have to come to the realisation he’s gone
forever each day."