London's Metropolitan Police have offered a £20,000 (Dh103,387) reward for information about the killers of Abraham Badru, a young man described as a "hero", who was gunned down in east London at the weekend amid a recent upsurge of street violence in the British capital.
Mr Badru, the son of Dolapo Badru, a Nigerian MP, was shot dead at 11pm on Sunday night on Ferncliff Road in Dalston. The 26-year-old, who worked as a football coach since earning a master's degree three years ago, parked his Mercedes in the area and was approached by an unknown number of suspects. A black male was seen leaving the area after shots were heard.
Described by the Metropolitan Police as a “talented young man with ambitions and so much to live for cut down in his prime”, Mr Badru was recognised with a National Police Bravery Award for his role in intervening in a sex attack on a teenage girl in 2009.
A statement from a family spokesman 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.”
Detective chief inspector Noel McHugh 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. 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.
“Abraham was a striking young man and a real contributor to society. His courage and overwhelming sense of what was right and wrong clearly demonstrated his strength of character.”
