The Kwara State police command has confirmed the murder of a retired controller of Works at the Federal Ministry of Work and Housing, Abdulrazaq Ajani.

According to reports, Ajani was gruesomely murdered by four young persons who had trailed him to his Dele Gege Street, Aderoju area, Off Awolowo Road, Tanke, Ilorin residence on the first day of January 2025.

This incident was said to have occurred at about 3pm, a few minutes after Ajani and his family returned from Offa, their home town, where they had gone to celebrate the New Year.

The spokesperson of the State Police Command, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, confirmed that the police have waded into the incident and have commenced investigation on it.

A family member described how the assassins casually entered Ajani’s compound moments after he drove in with his immediate family members, adding that “Four young men between 18 and 22 years old carried out the dastard operation”.

“A review of CCTV camera recordings showed two of them standing beside the gate of Mr Ajani’s residence, one sipping water from a plastic bottle, while the two others strolled into the compound.

“On noticing the young men from one of the two sitting rooms on the ground floor of the one-storey duplex building, the retired federal officer reportedly rose to meet them at the main door.

“They appeared to be engaging him in a discussion until he was suddenly lying face down on the ground,” said one of the family members describing what he saw on the CCTV,” the source added.

An eyewitness said:” 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. If you get to his house, there are blood stains on the walls, and his brain is also scattered on the floor.

“Many people have besieged the residence of the man sympathising with the wife and the children while a team of policemen have visited the scene for investigation.”

Ajani reportedly retired from the Federal Ministry of Works about four years ago but was said to have accepted a contract appointment there in 2024.