Detectives investigating the murder of Nigerian House of Rep's 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 gunshot 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 alleyway 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 utmost sensitivity. We are offering a 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 elsewhere? This person/persons can’t 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 most important 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."
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