Senate asks IGP, others, to investigate the disappearance of Raymond Gaadi, NSCDC officer

**Deplore gruesome murder of Rev. Father Isaac Achi

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) should direct full criminal investigation into the disappearance of Raymond Terwase Gaadi, Deputy Commandant, NSCDC in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, the Senate has urged

The upper chamber equally urged the Commandant General of the NSCDC to direct internal investigation into the matter.

This was coming following a “motion on urgent national importance” moved by Senator Emmanuel Orker-Jev (Benue North) at plenary on Wednesday.

The Senate noted that one Raymond Terwase Gaadi, a Deputy Commandant of the NSCDC was serving in Enugu state until October 2022 when he was posted to Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.

According to Orker-Jev, on getting to Bayelsa, Raymond Gaadi told his family and friends that the officer he was to takeover from was not only resisting handover, but was threatening him.

Unfortunately, two days after sending that report to his family and friends, unidentified caller informed the family that has gone missing.

The Senate was “alarmed that since 29th October, 2022 nothing has been heard of or from Gaadi.

Senator Orker-Jev wondered that “NSCDC authorities that should have taken more than passing interest in the whereabouts of their officer have displayed shocking nonchalance over the matter nor was the family aware of any Police intervention on the matter”.

In another development, the Senate also roundly condemned “the gruesome murder of Rev. Father Isaac Achi who was burned alive in the early hours of Sunday 15th January, 2023 in his residence in Paikoro LGA of Niger state”.

Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East) moved the motion to that effect on Wednesday during plenary.

The deceased priest hailed from the area and was ordained as the first Catholic Priest from Gbagi and Koro land.

After his ordination on January 7, 1995, RV. Fr. Achi was transferred to Minna, the Niger state capital from where he was transferred to different parts.

It will be recalled that the deceased Rev Fr survived multiple attacks, abducted in Madalla, spending many days in captivity until his Church members paid the ransom for him to regain his freedom.

He was also shot by gunmen who invaded the house where conducting a child naming in the same Madalla but survived it, in addition to being a survivor of the Christmas day bombing of the St. Theresa Catholic church, Madalla, Niger state in which 44 worshippers lost their lives and many sustained various degrees of injury.

Senator Sani Musa said “Achi’s death speaks volumes about state of violence in Nigeria in which hundreds of innocent Nigerians lose their lives”.

The Senate, as usual, observed a minute silence in honour of the deceased priest.