The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has expressed concern and pledged support for the family of Comrade Patrick Osadebamwen, former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, whose sudden death has left the FCT media community in mourning.
Osadebamwen was reportedly found dead at his residence in Bwari on Saturday. Following the discovery, the NUJ FCT Council reached out to police authorities for assistance, prompting the FCT Commissioner of Police to swiftly deploy personnel from the Bwari Divisional Headquarters to help evacuate his remains to the mortuary.
In a statement jointly signed by NUJ FCT Council Chairman Comrade Grace Ike and Secretary Comrade Jide Oyekunle, the council commended the Commissioner of Police for his prompt response.
“The Council is using this medium to specially thank the FCT Commissioner of Police for the timely response when reached on Sunday,” the statement read, extending gratitude also to friends and well-wishers who reached out.
Force Public Relations Officer CSP Anietie Okokon Iniedu, who represented the IGP during a condolence visit to the family’s residence in Bwari, described the journalist’s death as shocking and conveyed the IGP’s condolences to the bereaved family. Iniedu said the IGP had pledged continued support for the family, particularly the children Osadebamwen left behind.
Grace Ike called her colleague’s death a painful loss to the journalism profession, praising the swift intervention of police authorities and thanking the IGP, the FCT Commissioner of Police and other stakeholders for standing with the family during the difficult period.
She described Osadebamwen as a committed unionist widely respected by his colleagues, whose death has drawn an outpouring of grief and tributes from across the media community.
The NUJ FCT Council called on journalists, colleagues and well-meaning Nigerians to continue supporting the bereaved family in prayer, and said burial arrangements would be announced once the family’s representative arrives in Abuja and necessary plans are finalised. As shock over the circumstances of his death continues to reverberate through the journalism community, colleagues say they will remember Osadebamwen for his dedication to the profession and his years of service to the NUJ.
